I,  I  B  RA  in 

PRIWCETOW,  JS.  .1. 

IKINATION  lit' 

S  A  M  IJ  K  I .  A  Ct  N  K  W  , 
Letter     <J  <^  -'3  ^  .  y 


BX  8495   .087  R44  1848 
Reilly,  William. 
A  memorial  of  the 
ministerial  life  of  the 


Digitized  by  tine  Internet  Arcliive 
in  2014 


https://archive.org/details/memorialofministOOreil 


KNCHAVKI)  KY  T  BUKI.'  ll 


A  MEMORIAL 


OP 


THE  MINISTERIAL  LIFE 


OF  THE 

REV.  GIDEON  OUSELEY, 

IRISH  MISSIONARY. 


COMPRISING  SKETCUKS  OF  THE  MISSION  IN  CON.NECTION  WITH  WHICH 
HE  LABORED,  UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OP  THE  WESLEYAN 
CONFERENCE  ;  WITH  NOTICES  OF  SOME  OF  THE  MOST 
DISTINGUISHED  IRISH  METHODIST  MI.SSIONARIES. 

BY  WILLIAHI  llEILLY. 


"  There  is  n  worU  of  invisible  beings  among  ua,  whose  influences  .ire  perpetually 
acting  upon  our  minds,  directing  our  pursuits,  and  shnping  our  cliaractera those 
who,  in  every  age  and  country,  have  lived  and  died,  not  for  themselves  alone,  but 
for  their  contemporaries  and  posterity." — Montgomrty. 

"  Men  that  have  haiarded  their  lives  for  thp  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Acu  of  the  ApoiUte. 

GEORGE   PECK..  EDITOR. 


PUBLISHED  BY  L.\NE  &  TIPPETT, 

FOR  THE  METHtjDlST  EPISCOPAL  CllfRCIl,  200  MULBERRY.STREET. 
JOSEPH    LONKtNO,  PRINTER. 
1815. 


TO 

THE  REVEREND  THOMAS  WAUGH 

THIS  VOLUME 
IS  INSCRIBED, 

AS  A  SMALL  TRIBUTE  OF  RESPECT  FOR  HIS  VIRTUES,  HI3 
LOVE  FOR  IRELAND,  AND  THE  APPLICATION  OF 
HIS  TALENTS  TO  THE  PROMOTION  OF 
HER  BEST  INTERESTS; 
AND 

OF  THE  ESTIMATE  FORMED  OF  HIS  FRIENDSHIP 
BY 

THE  AUTHOR. 


PREFACE. 


The  author  of  the  following  pages  was  request- 
ed by  the  Irish  Wesleyan  Methodist  Conference,  in 
1839,  to  prepare  Memoirs  of  the  late  Rev.  Gideon 
Ouseley ;  to  which  he  consented,  more  from  the  re- 
spect which  he  entertained  for  their  judgment,  than 
from  an  opinion  of  his  own  competency  for  the  per- 
formance. But  subsequently,  not  being  able  to 
gain  access  to  papers  which  he  deemed  essential  to 
the  compilation  of  such  a  work,  he  begged  leave 
to  decline  the  duty,  and  obtained  from  the  confer- 
ence of  1840  a  dispensation  from  that  which  he 
otherwise  would  have  conceived  obligatory.  He 
was  given  to  understand,  too,  that  another  and  more 
able  pen  was  engaged  in  the  task  which  had  first 
been  assigned  him. 

Seven  years  had  well  nigh  elapsed,  and  nothing 
appeared  to  m§et  the  expectation  of  the  religious 
public,  and  great  uneasiness  was  evinced  by  many, 
lest  the  name  of  the  venerable  Ouseley  should  be 
allowed  to  pass  into  oblivion.    It  was  not  until 


6 


PREFACE. 


then,  and  after  repeated  and  urgent  entreaties  by 
several  respected  friends  and  brethren  of  the  Irish 
Connection,  and  by  honored  members  of  the  British 
Conference,  that  he  could  be  induced  to  enter  on 
the  prosecution  of  the  design. 

Some  apology  may  be  thought  requisite  from 
the  author  for  the  delay  of  the  publication  since 
its  first  announcement.  He  had  anticipated  its 
appearance  long  before  this  period ;  but  matters  of 
painful  interest  connected  with  his  ministerial 
charge,  which  he  could  not  have  foreseen,  and 
over  which  he  had  no  control,  engaged  him  iu 
onerous  and  perplexing  duties,  which  precluded  the 
possibility  of  bestowing  that  attention  to  it  which 
was  necessary  in  conducting  it  through  the  press. 

Although  topics  referring  to  the  social  state  of 
Ireland,  and  to  the  mission  generally,  occupy  con- 
siderable space  in  the  Memorial,  yet  the  author's 
principal  object  was  to  give,  as  far  as  he  could,  a 
fair  view  of  that "  most  unusual  man,"  whose  cha- 
racter and  labors  are  traced  in  this  volume.  As 
any  history,  however,  of  the  Irish  mission  should 
comprehend  an  account  of  one  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary and  successful  Irish  missionaries  who 
have  appeared  in  any  age,  so  the  ministerial  life 


PREFACE. 


7 


of  the  man  must  imbody  a  sketch  of  the  system 
of  operation  with  which  he  was  connected,  and  of 
the  character  of  his  native  country,  which  he  so 
ardently  loved,  and  for  whose  regeneration  he 
passed  through  nearly  half  a  century  of  persevering 
and  patient  toil. 

Mr.  Ouseley's  voluminous  letters,  descriptive  of 
his  travels  and  labors,  from  some  of  which  extracts 
have  been  ah-eady  published,  presented  a  strong 
inducement  to  the  writer  to  compile  a  much  more 
comprehensive  record:  his  chief  difficulty,  there- 
fore, lay  in  comprising  the  woi-k  ^Yithin  moderate 
limits. 

In  the  second  letter  the  quotations  of  the  author 
may  be  thought  too  copious  and  len^hened,  but 
having  in  his  former  letter  ventured  to  state  his 
views  on  a  subject  respecting  which  there  are 
many  conflicting  opinions,  and  lest  the  remarks 
made  by  him  should  appear  presumptuous  from 
so  inconsiderable  a  person,"  he  deemed  it  expedi- 
ent to  fortify  himself  by  authorities  of  such  high 
and  deserved  reputation. 

Since  this  work  was  commenced,  our  country 
has  become  a  scene  of  the  most  distressing  calami- 
ty ;  famine  and  fever,  in  appalling  succession,  have 


8 


PREFACE. 


been  doing  the  work  of  death ;  the  sufferings  of  the 
people  have  been  such  as  to  arrest  the  attention, 
and,  in  a  great  measure,  excite  the  sympathies,  of 
the  world ;  and  the  judgments  of  the  Lord  are  still 
abroad  in  the  land.  Wliether  this  awful  visitation 
has  been  called  down  by  those  moral  evils  described 
in  an  early  part  of  this  Memorial,  the  author  does 
not  now  venture  to  determine.  Some  future  wri- 
ter, who  shall  see  "  God  in  history,"  may  trace  its 
causes  and  exhibit  its  effects.  Certain  it  is,  that 
our  national  sufferings  are  not  more  manifest  than 
have  been  our  national  sins.  Not  only  had  politi- 
cal agitation  relaxed  the  sinews  of  industry,  and 
disturbed  the  passions  of  the  multitude,  until  the 
earthquake  fhat  rocked  our  island  seemed  to  threat- 
en the  security  of  the  British  throne  ;  but  the  feet 
of  numbers  were  swift  to  shed  blood.  God's  laws 
were  openly  trampled  upon,  his  name  profaned, 
his  sabbaths  desecrated,  his  Bible  exploded,  and  a 
corrupt  and  spurious  Christianity  substituted  for 
the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  "  Shall  I  not  visit 
for  these  things  ?  saith  the  Lord ;  and  shall  not 
my  soul  be  avenged  on  such  a  nation  as  this  ?" 

Thus  far  the  infliction  has  tended  to  calm  the 
strife  of  party  and  still  the  tumult  of  the  people. 


PREFACE. 


Well  will  it  be  for  Ireland  should  it  have  the  fur- 
ther tendency  to  break  down  the  prejudices  which 
have  hitherto  walled  in  the  bulk  of  her  population, 
and  to  open  a  way  for  "  the  glorious  gospel  of  the 
blessed  God." 

With  no  small  degree  of  diffidence  does  the  au- 
thor present  this  volume  to  the  eye  of  an  intelligent 
public,  written,  as  it  was,  at  different  intervals, 
amidst  important  and  anxious  avocations.  He  is 
conscious  of  some  of  its  defects ;  but  for  these,  and 
others  which  he  does  not  discern,  he  solicits  a  fa- 
vorable judgment  from  his  readers  ;  and  casts  his 
performance  on  their  kindness  and  candor,  being 
aware  that  more  is  expected  from  the  Memorial 
of  Sir.  Ouseley  than  could  be  accomplished  by  a 
person  having  much  more  ability  and  leisure  than, 
himself.  If  the  sketch  of  Mr.  O.'s  ministerial  life, 
however  imperfectly  given,  shall  have  a  tendency 
to  rouse  the  energies  of  young  candidates  for  the 
Christian  ministry  to  similar  enterprise  and  effort, 
the  author  will  rejoice ;  as  he  is  persuaded  that 
whatever  other  means  may  be  adopted  for  the  me- 
lioration of  the  condition  of  our  interesting  country, 
the  weal  of  Ireland,  under  the  divine  blessing, 
especially  depends  upon  a  succession  of  faithful, 


10 


PREFACE. 


self-denying  men,  who  will  imitate  the  noble  exam- 
ple bequeathed  them  by  Gideon  Ouseley,  who 
"jeoparded  his  life  unto  the  death  in  the  high  places 
of  the  field ;"  that  he  might  promulgate,  to  the  peo- 
ple at  large,  the  words  of  eternal  life. 


CONTENTS. 


owing  to  English  and  Scotch  habits  of  domestic  economy  as  contrasted  with  Irish — 
AiUfigonist  principles— Examples  referred  to— Subject,  one  of  fact— Ireland  cannot 
rise  while  under  an  oppressive  and  degrading  superstition  Pa^  15 

LETTER  11. 

The  Cliurch  of  Rome  essentially  the  same  in  every  age  and  place— TesLirnonies  aa  to 
iu  character — Archbishop  Whately — Dr.  H.  J.  Alonck  Mason — Edmund  Spenser — 
Archbishop  Usher- Bishop  Bedell— Gideon  Ouseley— Ireland  not  always  subject  to 
Rome— Acknoifledged  by  Roman  Catliolic  writers— Its  calamities  owing  to  submission 
to  the  yoke  of  Rome— O'DriscoU— Closing  remarks— Proper  diilinctioua  to  be  pre- 
served—The gospel  the  only  means  of  enlightenmeDt  23 

LETTER  in. 

Aspect  of  society— Though  discouraging,  not  hopeless— Confidence  inspired— Effects 
of  the  l.\boi"s  of  Wesley,  etc.,  on  the  present  improved  condition  of  religious  society- 
Rev.  Gideon  Ouseley— Rev.  George  Wliite  fie  Id— Nearly  Bbipwrecked— PuU  into 
county  of  CUire — Passes  on  through  I.inierick  and  Dublin  to  Park  Gate — Rev.  John 
Wesley — First  visit  to  Ireland — Rev.  Charles  Wesley — Progress  of  Methodism  in 
Ireland— Diocese  of  Meath— Correspondence  between  the  Rev.  Moore  Booker  and 
the  bishop  of  Meath— Closing  remarks  41 

LETTER  IV. 

Irish  mission— Rer.  Gideon  Ouseley— Birih— Early  indications  of  greatness— Education 
—Serious  impressions  respecting  God  and  eternity— Methodist  preachers— Holy  Scrip- 
tures— Young's  Night  Thoughts,  and  Centaur  not  iVbulous — Deeply  convinced  of 
his  sin  and  danger — Distressing  apprehensions  of  eternal  misery — Submits  to  God — 
—Receives  the  forgiveness  of  sins— Exceedingly  hapi>j  — Rev.  Julin  Wooilrow— His 
frrace  the  archbishop  of  Tuam— A nealotes— Liberality  tuwant  M-  lii  im  i--'  ..  in,  j,y 
to  Methodist  missionaries— Mr.  Ouseley  attains  a  more  niaiin   I  ^^( 

iiburs  asa  localpreacheramong  the  Irish— Scone  at  a  iViucril-  \  i    '  -u- 

Pairick  pilgrim — Infidel  genUeman — Mr.  Ouseley  lr:ue!;  .niil  I.  ■  ■-■ii;i.iy  in 
the  province  of  Connaught,  nearly  seven  yeare  prior  lu  his  jppui.uni. nt  by  cuntcrenoe 
—Proceeds  as  far  as  Leinslcr— Fruits  acconipanyin--  liis  curly  inimsiry- Fitted  by 
mture,  education,  an.)  grace,  for  the  arduoiu  office  oi  lui  Irisli  missi'-Tury.     .    .  53 

LETTEH  V. 

La'.>c»ni  of  Messrs.  John  and  Charles  Wesley  and  their  coadjutors— Indirect  effects  on 
the  native  Irish— Direct  instruction  through  the  medium  of  their  own  language, 
attempted  early  in  the  eighteenth  century— L)niit('d  anJ  siiori-Ii\'i-.l— A/r.  Tliomaa 
Walsh — TesUmony  of,  by  Dr.  Mason— Eulogy  on,  '  \  i.'i  ,  — K  riy  connection 
uiih  the  Church  of  Rome—Deeply  convinced  of  tfiii    !  i    n  liir^  Church 

of  Rome— Hears  Mr.  Rob-irt  Swindells  in  the  stu         i  -  i      l  oiivertion — 

Comni?nce6  prcHching  in  the  county  of  Tipper.iry— I,  ii   i>.  i.i  M>  i>)  ;— Lonnaught^ 


12 


CONTENTS. 


Leinster— The  north— Suffers  sore  persecution  from  tarious  parties— EBecu  prodacad 
OD  the  Irish  by  his  street  preaching— Death  in  Dublin— Mr.  Charltt  GraAam— An 
eminent  Irish  preaciier— Raised  up  in  the  province  of  Connau^hc— Labors  as  a  local 
preacher  for  iwenty-one  years— Appointed  as  an  Irish  missionary  by  Mr.  Wesley— 
Mr.  BarOioloTHew  Qimj>6eZ/— Originally  a  Roman  Catholic— Great  diatresa  of  mind— 
Pilgrimage  to  Loug^h  Derg— He  believes  on  Christ— Scene  in  a  church-yard— Very 
useful  among  the  Irisli.  Page  83 

LETTER  VI. 

State  of  Ireland  previous  to  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Ouseley  aa  a  mitisionary— Inah 
rebellion  of  1793— Irish  Roman  CvitlioUcs  not  scLking  a  true  republic,  but  tlie  subjugii- 

cilies  perpetrated  by  llie  rebels,  led  on  by  their  priests— Irish  Conference— Dr.  Coke- 
Address  to  the  British  Conftrence—Afleciing  description  of  the  Irish  rebellion— Confer- 
ence of  1799— Appointment  of  the  Irish  mission— Sanctioned  by  the  British  Confer- 
to  Dr.  Coke  from 
107 

LETTER  VII. 

A  large  field  of  labor  assigned  the  missionaries,  suited  to  Uie  taste  of  Mr.  Oiiseley— 
Success  of  street  preaching  in  Enniscorthy— Attempted  persecution  in  Wexford— Ex- 
tract of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ouseley  to  Dr.  Coke— Ceiiselesa  and  diversified  labors  of 
missionaries— Preach  in  several  towns  in  the  counties  of  Wicklow  and  Wexford— 
Hacketstown— Priest's  threats  of  penanci-— Bi  il--  ofiL-r- J  a  young  woman  lo  bring  her 
back  to  mass— Such  eflorts  vain— P<.i .  n  in  K  ilm\  — Mr.  Ouseley  severely 
bruised — fc^cap^s  the  mob — Writes   i  I  >     iu-lic  bishop — Conference 

Address— Mr.  Ouseley  labors  nnothr-i  \  .  M,    i,,  i (.mi— Feels  the  waot  of 

suitable  tracla  for  general  distrihutiun— i.  uiii[.iaN,^  in         Coke  on  the  subject- Hb 

pulses— Great  numbers  of  Roman  Catholics  hear  the  word  with  increasing  attention- 
Several  join  society— Sketch  of  the  labors  and  success  of  Messrs.  Ouseley  and  Graham 
—Period  of  their  association  in  the  work  closes  134 

LETTER  Via. 

Mr.  Ouseley 's  appointment— Mr.  William  Hamilton— State  of  reugion  in  the  raelropolii 

— Miision;iry  pro?:ie^s- Persecution  at  Carlow— Narrowly  escapes  with  his  life— 
Pri'  .silv  M|.|.r. --iMM— Mi,-i,.i,.ii  v  >  x'Ttions  not  confined  to  Roman  Cadiolica— Mr. 
Oi(--i  "I  his  mode  of  preacliing — Scene  at  Drogheda— 
Em  ■  •  ■  'vi,;..'nny,  &c.— Mr.  Ouseley  in  his  native  province 
— (jcLiii  [.  ii;  [111  —>\:j — >  1.  f.-iul  operations  there — Address  of  the  conferencfr— 
Brief  sketch  of  Mr.  Ouscltz'y's  ii-ude  oi  working— Interesting  incident— Mr.  Ouseley'g 
vibit  to  a  nobleman— Preaching  to  the  Threshers— Conversions  from  Komaniam— <ireftt 
meeting  in  the  village  church  of  Easky  147 

LETTER  IX. 

Mr.  Ouseley  distinguished  as  an  Iriah  missionary- Messrs.  Bell  and  Alcorn— Street 
preaching  at  Naas— Interesting  effects  of,  on  a  clergyman  of  the  Established  Church 
—Useful  minibtry  and  triumphant  death— Mr.  Andrew  Taylor— In  great  peril- 
Heroic  conduct— Mr.  Bell  in  Kilworih— Effects  of  street  preaching— Mrs.  Carey- 
Mr.  Ouseley  appointed  to  Galway  and  Clare— Suffers  under  severe  illness,  induced 
by  lying  in  a  wet  room— Extract  of  a  letter,  descriptive  of  his  feeling*— Kindness  t> 
ward  his  colleagues— Sleep  on  the  loft— Sustainf  persecution— Assaulted  by  a  prie« 


CONTENTS. 


18 


--Letter  on  the  Bubject  from  Mr.  Hajnilton— Syinpathy  and  liberality  of  the  English  to 
Imh  miBsioos— Mr.  Hamilton  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  hardships  of  the  miBsiori— 
Strong  affection  for  Mr.  Ouseley— High  opinion  of  the  conferen««  /esprcting  Mr. 
Hamilton — Long  and  honorable  career  and  triumphant  close — Great  discoumgements 
of  Mr.  Ouseley  next  year— Explores  new  places— Great  success— Singular  conversion 
of  a  persecutor  in  class  meeting— Mr.  Ouseley  preaches  in  the  streets  of  Burrisokane— 
forms  a  society  there — Extraordinary  exertions  during  that  year — Testimony  of 
conference  reUiive  to  missions— Mr.  Ouseley's  prodigious  labors  deserving  of 
notice  Page  171 

LETTER  X. 

Mr.  Ooselev's  third  year  in  Galway  and  Clare— Obtains  two  colleagues— Entering  into 
Killaloe— Field  of  labor— Romish  devotions  at  Kilmacduagh— His  traveling  to  remote 
places— Two  women  grinding  at  the  mill— Scene  in  the  west— Studious  habits  of 
Mr.  O.— Tilings  the  subject  of  his  study— Metaphors  appropriate— Sermon  in 
Limerick  barraclt— Out- door  preaching  varied— Villages— Assizes  towns— Fields— 
Baliineven — Engaged  in  building  preaching  houses — Visits  Connemara — Letter  to  Dr. 
Coke— Mr.  MaUerly- Rev.  Adam  Averell— Roman  Catholic  clergy  contribute  to  the 
erection  of  Methodist  chapels— Scenery  of  Lough  Derg— Father  Keating— Parish 
priest  of  Castletown  Am— Letter  to  priest  Thayer— Mr.  Ouseley  in  danger  of  being 
greatly  injured  by  a  stone  thrown  at  him — Tour  throiigh  Con  naught— Controversy 
with  father  Glin— Tumult  in  Longhrea— Persecution  in  Ballina— Assault  in  Westport, 
occasioned  by  father  Jvidge— Curious  encounter  with  a  priest  in  Erris— Travels 
through  the  province  of  Connaught — Returns  to  Dunmore — Attempted  persecution — 
Successful  labors  of  Mr.  0.,  for  five  yeaiBj  in  Clare  and  Galway  mission  ...  193 

LETTER  XL 

Irish  Conference  of  1S13— Dr.  Coke  presides  for  the  last  time— Mr.  Ouseley  offers  him- 
self for  India— Conference  interposes- Appointed  to  labor  in  the  north— Mr.  Arthur 
Noble  to  be  his  colleague— Awakened  under  a  sermon  preached  by  Mr.  Ouseley  in 
Fintona— Many  who  were  destined  for  the  njinistry  converted  by  means  of  Mr.  0. — 
Rev.  William  Copeland,  Rev.  James  Home,  and  others— During  the  first  year  Mr. 
Ouseley  extends  his  labors  beyond  the  prescribed  bounds— Obtains  two  more  colleagues 
the  second  year— Labors  very  generally  through  the  kingdom — Nut  confined  to  Ire- 
land-Visits England  and  Scotland— Mode  of  preaching,  the  same  as  described,  pur^ 
sued  with  increasing  success— Appointed  several  successive  years  as  a  general  rnis- 
sionary- Tours  to  the  south  attended  with  great  success— His  description  of  Philip 
Rorkc— Rebukes  a  priest  at  Manoriiamilton— Travels  ex teniively— Witnesses  won- 
derful effects  of  the  gospel— Preaches  to  great  crowds  in  En niskillen— Narrowly 
escapes  with  his  life  from  a  mob  in  Killetter  fair— Escape  in  the  south  of  Ireland— In 
Connaught— Field  meeting  in  the  county  of  Donegal— Rides  twenty  miles  through 
incessant  rain — Labors  in  Enntskitlen — Dungannon — Monaghan — Supineness  of  the 
English  with  regard  (o  the  encroachments  of  Romanism— Preaches  in  the  open  air  in 
Dublin— Many  real  converts  who  from  fear  dare  not  avow  the  change  ....  242 

LETTER  XIL 

Mr.  Ouseley  suffers  severely  from  exertions  during  a  snow  storm — Richly  rewarded  by 
the  gracious  fruits— An  atheist  converted— Conversation  between  a  Roman  Catholic 
gendemau  and  a  priest— A  soldier  converted  on  the  battle-field  of  Waterioo— Light 
of  the  gospel  spread  by  the  writings  and  preaching  of  Mr.  Ouseley— In  perils  among 
bis  couotrymeitawtaid  a«do  for  %  short  tin-.s  \)y  a  cold,  cauf  he  while  preaching  in  tbe 


14 


CONTENTS. 


street— Preachea  by  star-light— DeBCribes  the  first  churcli  nmon*  the  Gentiles— Retire* 
to  a  watering  place — Successful  labors  while  there — Rev.  John  Feely  appointed  la 

travel  with  him— Mr.  Feely's  character  of   Preaches  from  thineeu  to  fifteen 

limes  a  week— Violent  conduct  of  a  priest- Several  turn  from  mass— Novel  argument 
against  (lie  rout  presence — Priest  M'Gouran — Mr.  Ouseley  returns  to  Dublio  ill,  after 
a  tour  of  sixly-six  days— Street  sermon  in  Ballina— Great  .success  in  every  place — 
Ingenious  and  convincing  argument  from  the  Rliemish  vereion— Conversation  with  a 
priest — Prospects  of  new  openings— Laments  over  tlie  state  of  Ireland — Argumenla 
with  a  casuist— Receives  a  severe  blow  in  Monaglian,  while  preaching  in  the  street- 
Cause  of  the  miseries  of  Ireland — Intolerance  of  a  priest  in  Kilrush — ^DIbcussIou  in 
CArrick-on-Shaniion— Invited  to  Easky  discussion— Its  amicable  terrtiinauon  in  favor 
of  truth- Mode  of  preaching  varied— Argumeuia  for  a  general  mission  to  the  Irish, 
and  his  peculi;ir  c;ili  to  th.tt  work  Page  367 

LETTER  XHI. 

Mr.  Ouseley  severely  alllicted— Gains  strenglh  to  write- Auimadversioiis  on  a  declara- 
tion of  Oie  Rombh  hierarchy,  and  Dr.  Doyle's  pastoral— Takes  a  lour  through  Gal  way — 
Accident  in  Connemam — Persecuted  by  a  priest  ioDunniore — Escapes  injury  in  Mul- 
Ungar— In  danger  of  a  relapse  of  inflammation  of  Ihc  lungs— Preaches  numerous  ser- 
mons in  tlie  streets— Progress  of  Scriptural  knowledge  and  inquiry— Movement  pro- 
moled  by  Mr.  Ouseley's  wridngsand  labors— InsU»nces  showing  this  fact— Reaolutioiu 
of  Scripture  readers— Progress  of  reformation  in  Cavan— Mr.  O.  viails  the  earj  of 
Faniham  —  Kindly  received  by  the  nobility,  gentry,  and  clergy  —  Lady  Faniham 
requests  liberty  to  pubiisli  Old  Christianity  ai  her  own  expense- Letter  firom  a  gentle* 
man  in  Cavan— Religious  movement  in  the  sovidi— S  riking  pecuUarity  of  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley's  mode  of  street  preaching — Instances — Disputing  in  the  market  with  those  that 
met  with  him— Visits  anoUier  scene  ol  i-eformation  near  the  county  of  Meath— Again 
vbils  Kind's  Court— Preaches  on  the  "ancient  f.iith  "—Several  express  their 
approval- Speech  at  reformation  meeting  in  Oinagh— Visits  England— Tour  through 
Leinslcr  and  tlie  north— Visits  Belfast— Answers  to  father  Brennan's  Penitential  Ad- 
dress— Vindication  of  Methodist  doctrine  and  discipline — Visits  again  the  scene  of 
reformation— Answer  to  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  G.  Spencer— Letter  to  Dr.  M'Enery, 
P.  P.  of  Tralee— Conversatiun  with  Biddy— Persecution  in  'I'uam— Kindness  of 
clergytnen  of  the  Estalilishment- Sketch  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  labor  for  a  year.'  .    .  298 

LETTER  XIV. 

Affliction  of  Mr.  Ouseley— His  letter  on  the  subject— Employs  the  time  in  wnting'— 
Resumes  his  active  labors — Catches  cold  in  street  preaching — Tra\*el«  In  Leinster  and 
Ulster— Interview  wilh  a  friendly  priest— Visits  King's  Court- A  priest  denounces  his 
Old  Ciirisiianily  as  an  heretical  book— Two  lengthened  tours— Supplies  the  place  of  Mr. 
Bayley— Dialogue  in  the  street  of  Eallinosloe- Attacked  by  cholera  in  Sligo— Attends 

jubilee— Mrs.  Ouseley's  character- Mr.  Ouseley  travels  through  Kerr>*— Conversation 
with  a  priest— VisiU  Limerick,  Ennis,  and  Tipperary— Strongly  urges  the  employ- 
ment of  Scripture  teachers — Proposes  to  contribute  to  their  support — Travels  through 
the  western  counties— Visits  England— Effect  of  sermon  in  Mo untmeilick— Travels  in 
Kerry,  Limerick,  and  Galway — Attacked  by  robbers  on  his  return  to  Dublin — Pre- 
monitory symptoms  of  his  last  illness— Letter  to  the  author— Prospects  of  eternily— 
Concludes  his  public  ministry  by  preaching  in  Mountmellick — Returns  to  Dublin- 
Is  confined  to  bed— The  closing  scene— Mr.  Ouseley's  character  aa  a  writer— His 
general  cbiracter  as  given  in  the  Minutes  of  Confereuco—ConcluaioD  ....  326 


MEMORIAL 

OF 

REV.  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


LETTER  I. 

Moral  and  political  stale  of  Irekntl— Ita  diaorUeis  attributed  to  Improper  causes— Meft- 

Qving  to  Euglish  and  Scotch  habits  of  domestic  economy  as  contrasted  with  Irish— 
Anta^nist  principles — Examples  referred  to — Subject,  fine  of  fact — Ireland  cannot 
rise  while  under  an  oppressive  and  degrading  superstition. 

My  Dear  Friend, — In  presenting  to  you  an  account 
of  the  ministerial  labors  of  the  Rev.  Gideon  Ouseley, 
and  of  the  mission  yyiih  which  he  was  connected  for 
forty  years,  it  will  not  be  deemed  unnecessary  to  give 
such  an  outline  of  the  state  of  the  country  itself,  as  shall 
show  that  a  necessity  existed,  in  the  moral  wants  of  the 
people,  fbr  the  establishment  of  such  a  system  of  evan- 
gelical instruction  as  is  brought  to  bear  upon  them  by 
the  preaching  of  the  Irish  missionary. 

To  dwell  on  the  distressing  details  unhappily  con- 
nected with  the  L-ish  name,  is  a  task  by  no  means 
agreeable  to  my  habits  or  disposition.  "WTien  com- 
pelled, therefore,  by  a  love  of  truth,  to  touch  on  the 
evils  which  exist,  and  which  we  all  deplore,  it  is  not  to 
indulge  an  ungrateful  or  invidious  feeling  to  my  coun- 
try, but,  if  possible,  to  trace  those  evils  to  their  legiti- 
mate source,  to  show  the  inefficiency  of  the  political 
measures  which  have  been  resorted  to  for  their  removal, 


16 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


and  to  exhibit  the  only  effectual  remedy  which  can  be 
applied  for  this  desirable  purpose. 

There  is  no  portion  of  the  British  empire  whose 
historj'  and  external  aspect  are  better  known  than 
Ireland,  and  yet  whose  real  state  and  character  are 
less  perfectly  understood.  The  political  relations  of 
this  country  have  afforded  abundant  matter  of  specu- 
lation to  the  theorist ;  her  moral  and  social  condition 
has  awakened  the  sympathies  of  the  philanthropist;  and 
her  religious  state  has  excited  the  commiseration  of  the 
genuine  Christian.  The  striking  peculiarities  of  her 
children  have  supplied  subjects  for  the  sentimental 
tourist,  who  fancies  himself  as  well  qualified  to  descnbe 
the  character  of  the  rural  population  as  to  sketch  the 
picturesque  beauties  of  the  scenery  which  surrounds 
them.  Works  of  fiction  have  come  to  the  aid  of  simple 
description ;  while,  alas !  the  real  miseries  of  Ireland 
exceed  the  most  vivid  touches  of  the  pencil  or  imagina- 
tion. With  every  natural  facility  which  soil,  climate, 
and  situation,  can  afford  for  comfort  and  prosperity, 
she  is  degraded,  depressed,  and  wretched ;  and,  with 
all  the  elements  of  native  courtesy,  kindness,  and  hos- 
pitality, her  eliildren  are  false,  treacherous,  and  cruel. 
Murder  after  murder  stains  the  annals  of  our  country. 
The  midnight  legislator  issues  his  proclamation,  and 
the  threatening  notice  is  soon  followed  by  the  foot  of 
the  destroyer.  "Destruction  and  misery  arc  in  their 
Avays ;  the  way  of  peace  have  they  not  known ;  there 
is  no  fear  of  God  before  their  eyes." 

In  one  t'rightful  feature  of  its  character,  Ireland  seems 
to  differ  from  every  other  part  of  the  civilized  woi-Id. 
The  original  sentence — "  Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood, 
by  man  shall  his  blood  bo  shed  " — is,  in  other  conn- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDKON  OUSELET. 


17 


ti-ies,  by  common  consent,  regarded  as  irreversible,  and 
the  blood-stained  culprit  is  brought  to  justice.  Here, 
alas!  they  labor  to  reverse  it;  a  criminal  sympathy 
prevails  for  the  midnight  and  noon-day  assassin.  Him- 
self concealed,  protected,  succored;  every  effort  is 
made  to  screen  the  murderer,  and  defeat  the  ends  of 
justice.  And  while  the  victim  of  a  diabolical  ven- 
geance— though  an  amiable,  worthy,  useful  gentleman 
— is  brought  to  a  premature  grave  in  the  midst  of  his 
days,  and  dies  unpitied  and  unwept ;  the  villain,  if  at 
last  brought  by  a  just  sentence  to  suffer  the  extreme 
l)enalty  of  the  law,  is  canonized  as  a  martyr.  (See 
Appendix  A.) 

It  docs  not  come  within  my  design  to  treat  the  mat- 
ter as  a  politician,  nor  should  I  direct  your  attention  to 
the  subject  in  a  political  point  of  view  at  all,  but  for 
the  purpose  of  showing  that  the  anomalous  character 
and  state  of  Ireland,  social  and  moral,  are  admitted  in 
tlie  highest  quarters ;  that  she  has  engaged  the  anxious, 
painful,  and  repeated  attention  of  the  greatest  and 
wisest  statesmen  of  all  political  creeds;  that  she  is 
deemed  worthy  the  regard  of  successive  sovereigns; 
and  that,  notwithstanding  all  the  plans  of  policy  for  the 
remedy  of  our  national  disorders,  the  core  of  Ireland's 
evils  is  confessedly  untouched. 

It  is  not  by  any  means  my  wish  to  call  in  question 
the  measures  of  men  in  power,  in  what  may  be  thought 
acts  of  national  justice,  much  less  to  take  upon  myself 
to  impugn  their  motives.  The  difficulties  with  which 
statesmen  have  had  to  grapple  are  of  giant  form ;  and 
the  system  of  religious  deception  which  governs  the 
bulk  of  the  people  is  so  insidious  in  its  character,  and 
tortuous  in  its  workings,  as  to  seem  to  bid  defiance 
2 


18  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


even  to  detection.  It  is  not  at  all  surprising,  therefore, 
that  mere  human  legislation,  however  well  intended, 
has  been  found,  to  the  present,  defective  and  ineffica- 
cious. Whether  they  have  enacted  penal  laws,  or 
repealed  them  by  passing  "  the  healing  measure ;" 
whether  they  have  subjected  the  people  to  what  they 
considered  a  galling  impost  for  the  support  of  a  religion 
which  they  were  taught  to  hate  and  anathematize  as 
heretical,  or  increased  the  burdens  of  the  state  by 
endowing  a  Romish  college ;  whetlier  they  have  sup- 
ported charter  schools  to  be  the  nursenes  of  Protestant- 
ism, or  establislied  national  schools  for  the  purpose  of 
conciliating  the  Romish  clergy ; — it  matters  very  little : 
the  question  still  remains,  Have  these,  or  any  of  these, 
reached  the  evils  of  our  country,  or  tended  to  alleviate 
our  national  miseries?  Statesmen  have  endeavored 
to  explore  the  causes  of  her  disorders,  and  to  apply 
remedies  for  their  removal,  without  effect.  Commis- 
sion has  followed  commissipn,  to  ascertain  her  real 
state ;  and  the  extremes  of  rigor  and  lenity  have  been 
alternately  resorted  to,  in  vain.  Has  there  been  a 
solution  given  to  the  enigma?  Why  have  not  the 
means  so  anxiously  applied  really  succeeded  in  her 
regeneration  or  improvement?  Does  not  the  fell 
disease  lie  deeper  in  her  moral  constitution  than  the 
mere  pohtical  system  ?  Ought  it  not  to  be  acknowledged 
that  the  palliatives  have  only  tended  to  aggravate  the 
fatal  distemper?  Still  the  disturbers  of  the  public 
peace  are  at  their  work  of  destruction ;  still  do  the 
demagogues  ply  their  daily  task,  by  good  words  and 
fair  speeches  deceiving  the  hearts  of  the  simple. 
"  While  they  promise  them  liberty,  they  themselves 
are  the  servants  of  corruption  ;"  afl'ecting  to  deplore, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  19 


as  patriots,  the  -wrongs  of  their  countn-,  -n-hile  tliey 
fatten  on  her  miseries. 

Greater  concessions  have  been  made  to  Popeiy 
■vvitliin  the  last  few  years  than  for  centuries ;  and  yet, 
what  is  the  tact  now  ?  Vtliy  the  necessity  of  a  coer- 
cion bill  ?  One  of  the  leading  joumals  of  "  the  peo- 
ple," the  D.  E.  Post,  has  recently  stated  as  follows : — 
"As  we  have  said  repeatedly,  the  right  honorable 
gentleman  (Sir  Robert  Peel)  is  not  the  man  for  Ire- 
land. This  country  has  been  in  a  state  of  ])ollti  jal  or 
agrarian  (hsturbance  since  he  obtained  his  present 
office.  AVe  are  old  stagers,  and  we  hardly  remember 
a  period  of  five  years — the  term  of  his  ministry — in 
wliich  such  agrarian  outrages,  and  so  much  political 
dissension,  prevailed.  He  foresaw  this  clearly  enough. 
He  predicted  that  Ireland  would  be  his  difficulty ;  and 
he  will  leave  it,  socially,  much  more  discontented, 
dissatisfied,  disturbed,  than  even  he  could  prefigure  in 
his  misgivings."  And  yet  Sir  Robert  has  for  the 
greater  part  been  walking  in  the  path  prescribed  him 
by  the  Post.  He  has  been  laboring  hard  in  the  work 
of  "  conciliation."  He  has  been  patronizing  priests, 
endowing  colleges,  and  extending  enlightenment. 

The  alarming  sj-mptoms  of  those  social  and  political 
erils  with  which  our  ill-fated  country  is  rife',  have  in- 
deed been  acknowledged  by  all ;  but  the  causes  which 
give  rise  to  them  lie  not  so  near  the  surface;  and 
without  the  knowledge  of  the  causes,  the  remedies  can- 
not be  applied  with  any  reasonable  hope  of  permanent 
success. 

Where  in  other  portions  of  our  country  it  happens 
that  a.better  state  of  things  is  exhibited,  men  of  high 
intelligence,  and  otherwise  unquestionable  competency, 


20  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTISELET. 


ascribe  the  difference  to  mere  habits  of  industry  and 
domestic  economy  by  no  means  indigenous  to  an  Irish 
climate.  Contrasts  are  formed  between  the  "  Saxon 
and  the  Celt,  the  Scotch  and  the  Irish,"  and  the  native 
indolence  and  improvidence  of  the  aboriginal  inhabit- 
ants but  serve  to  exhibit  to  more  advantage  the  state 
of  social  and  civil  improvement  at  which  our  happier 
neighbors  have  arrived.  Alas  !  the  causes  of  these 
distinctions,  moral,  social,  and  domestic,  lie  much 
deeper  than  the  mere  political  economist  is  willing 
to  admit.  The  difference  solely  consists  in  antagonist 
principles.  On  the  one  hand,  the  truths  of  Christian- 
ity are  diffused,  and  by  one  class  of  people  generally 
acknowledged.  In  our  holy  religion  are  contained 
the  elements  of  social  order,  moral  elev  ation,  and  do- 
mestic happiness.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  slavish 
subjection  of  millions  to  the  authority  of  their  spiritual 
guides,  without  whose  will  they  dare  not  exercise,  or  at 
least  express,  a  single  thought  on  their  own  eternal  desti- 
nies !  The  revelation  of  God  is  carefully  concealed, 
or  artfully  misinterpreted;  a  meagre  and  corrupt  sys- 
tem of  human  invention  is  substituted  for  the  gospel, 
and  human  authority  absolutely  supersedes  the  majesty 
of  the  divine  law. 

Have  wc  not  here  a  solution  of  the  difEculties  with 
■which  the  statesman  has  had  to  contend?  And  are 
not  the  contrasts  fully  accounted  for,  to  which  the 
attention  of  the  world  has  been  so  frequently  directed, 
and  which  are  so  confidently  attributed  to  other  causes  ? 
Would  the  limits  of  this  letter  admit  of  it,  I  could,  from 
my  own  knowledge  and  observation,  point  out  nume- 
rous examples  to  confirm  the  above  statements.  I 
could  name  village  standing  in  striking  contrast  with 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  21 


village,  purely  on  tliis  ground ;  I  could  point  out  the 
same  village  or  townland  at  difiFerent  periods  exhibit- 
ing the  same  class  of  evidence ;  individuals  might  be 
named  who  could  give  testimony  in  their  own  case  to 
corroborate  the  fact;  where  the  rude,  ignorant,  vm- 
tutored  servant-boy — the  willing  instrument  of  the 
lawless  and  designing  demagogue,  and  prepared  on 
the  next  occasion  for  deeds  of  violence,  is,  by  the 
blessing  of  God  on  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  ele- 
vated to  the  rank  of  a  Christian — becomes  respectable, 
intelligent,  exemplary ;  and,  by  and  by,  trains  his 
chikken  in  those  truths  of  Christianity  by  which  him- 
self had  been  rescued  from  the  dominion  of  darkness 
and  eiTor.  With  such  evidence  before  us,  is  it  sur- 
prising that  we  are  not  willing  to  admit  of  these  in- 
vidious distinctions  on  the  ground  of  nationality  ? 

As  a  proof  of  this :  in  some  very  striking  instances 
we  are  indebted  to  France  for  many  of  those  advan- 
tages of  improvement  and  industry,  which  stand  in 
contrast  with  the  general  wretchedness  of  the  south 
and  west.  Many  of  those  who,  for  more  than  two  cen- 
turies, have  helped  to  develop  the  industrial  resources 
of  the  country,  and  by  their  wealth  and  manufactures 
tended  to  enrich  it,  to  diffuse  comfort,  and  to  promote 
habits  of  industry  and  domestic  order,  were  the  refu- 
gees, or  their  descendants,  who  fled  from  a  persecuting 
edict  of  Louis  XIV.,  and  found  an  asyliun  in  several 
parts  of  L-eland.  And  yet  we  are  gravely  told  that 
the  difference  hes  in  the  domestic  habits  of  England 
and  Ireland.  It  is  not  surprising  to  you  that  informed 
men,  who  have  had  opportunities,  from  long  residence 
among  them  of  judging  for  themselves,  are  not  quite 
ready  to  concur  in  the  opinions  of  men,  who,  however 


22  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


otherwise  clever,  take  upon  themselves,  after  a  week 
or  ten  days'  observation,  (it  cannot  be  called  acquaint- 
ance,) to  describe  the  chai-acter,  and  account  for  the 
social  condition  of  the  Irish. 

Two  things  unite  in  the  minds  of  genuine  Christians 
in  rejection  of  the  conclusions  thus  drawn  by  specula- 
tive men — their  love  of  country  and  their  love  of  truth. 
The  Irishman,  in  his  native  simplicity,  is  as  susceptible 
of  cultivation  as  either  Scot  or  Saxon ;  and  the  truth, 
if  brought  into  due  operation  on  his  case,  would  be 
equally  effoctual.  But  is  not  the  subject,  after  all, 
involving,  as  it  does,  the  dearest  interests  of  the  em- 
pire, presented  to  the  mind  as  one  of  fad  1  And  ought 
not  the  attention  of  the  philanthropist  and  statesman 
be  awakened  to  the  true  nature  of  the  question  ?  It 
is  regarded  by  me  without  the  shades  that  prejudice 
would  cast  around  it ;  in  this,  at  least,  I  am  free  from 
the  spirit  of  sectarianism.  I  care  not  under  what 
agency  the  power  of  error  is  abohshed  and  the  influ- 
ence of  truth  advanced ;  but,  until  it  is  done,  every 
scheme  to  retrieve  the  nation  from  disorder  and  misery, 
however  excellent  in  itself,  must  prove  utterly  abor- 
tive. Whatever  coercion  may  effect  in  the  suppres- 
sion of  crime,  or  concession  in  the  allayment  of  insub- 
ordination— whatever  plans  of  benevolence  may  be 
laid  for  the  improvement  of  Ireland,  or  measures  of 
justice  for  her  relief — no  lasting  benefit  can  be  ex- 
pected to  result,  while  millions  of  her  interesting  chil- 
dren remain  enthralled  beneath  the  iron  yoke  of  spi- 
ritual oppression.  How  can  our  beloved  country  rise 
in  the  scale  of  being,  degraded  as  she  has  become 
under  the  tyranny  of  a  foul  superstition,  which  im- 
poses mental  bondage,  and  spreads  moral  darkness 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  23 


through  every  country  over  ■which  it  maintains  its 
sullen  doiiiination  ? 

In  niy  next  you  may  expect  some  portions  of  evi- 
dence from  other  sources,  to  corroborate  the  principles 
and  ai'guments  of  this  letter. 

Yours,  &c.,  W.  R. 


LETTER  n. 

The  Church  of  Rome  eMenUally  Ibe  same  in  every  a*e  and  place— Testimonies  as  to 
its  ehanicter— Archbishop  Whately— Dr.  H.  J.  Moncic  Mason— Edmand  Spenser — 
Archbishop  Dlher— Bishop  Bedeil — Gideon  Ouseley — Ireland  not  always  subject  to 
Rome — Acknowledged  by  Roman  Catholic  wriiere — Its  calamities  owin*  to  submission 
to  the  yoke  of  Rome— O'DriscoU— Closing  remarks — Proper  disLinclions  to  be  pre- 
served—The gospel,  the  only  means  of  enli^btenmeot. 

My  Dear  Fkiexd, — ^In  my  last  letter,  you  were  led  to 
expect  a  reference  to  other  sources  of  evidence,  in  cor- 
roboration of  the  principles  which  were  there  assumed. 
In  its  professions,  and  in  some  of  its  external  aspects, 
the  religion  of  Rome,  chameleon-like,  accommodates 
itself  to  its  relative  position.  In  communities  where  it 
is  not  dominant,  it  can  crouch,  and  promise,  and  swear 
lasting  fealty,  while  in  subjection ;  and  by  these  means 
many  of  the  noble  minded  and  unsuspecting  in  our 
own  eventful  day  have  been  betrayed  into  a  persuasion 
that  time  has  wrought  a  considerable  change  in  its 
character.  Arrived  at  ascendency,  however,  knowing 
no  medium  between  t)-ranny  and  slavery,  its  mask  is 
thrown  aside,  and  the  power  that  was  gained  by  fraud 
and  hj-pocrisy  is  unblushingly  directed  to  purposes  of 
injustice  and  oppression.  "When,"  says  the  cele- 
brated Edmund  Spenser,  in  his  "  State  of  Ireland," 
"they  are  wearj-  of  wars  and  brought  down  to  ex- 
treme wretchedness,  then  they  creep  a  little  perhaps, 


24  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


and  sue  foi'  grace,  till  they  have  gotten  new  breath 
and  recovered  their  strength  again."  But  it  is  to  the 
moral  and  social  ctfects  necessarily  produced  by  the 
inculcation  of  her  avowed  principles  on  the  population 
I  would  now  advert;  and,  in  connection  with  this, 
suggest  the  only  means  for  their  enlightenment  and 
conversion. 

It  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  reproach  to  the  Church 
of  Rome  that  the  character  exhibited  by  it  in  one  age 
must  essentially  agree  with  it  in  every  other.  Accord- 
ing to  her  own  canon  of  infallibility,  it  must  be  immu- 
table ;  it  is  professedly  "  unchanged  and  unchange- 
able." Those  descriptions,  therefore,  given  by  the 
historian,  relative  to  the  state  of  Christendom,  pre- 
vious to  the  Reformation,  answer  to  her  state  in  the 
present  age.  Popery  in  the  nineteenth  century  is  the 
same  it  was  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

Numerous  as  are  the  authorities  which  might  here 
be  adduced,  as  to  the  character  of  the  Western  Church 
prior  to  the  Reformation,  I  shall  satisfy  myself  with 
one  quotation,  from  a  distinguished  author,  who,  to  say 
the  least,  cannot  be  suspected  of  a  want  of  liberality 
to  the  Church  of  Rome  :  "  Before  the  reformation  of 
our  church,  the  priest  professed,  like  the  Jewish,  to 
offer  sacrifice  (the  sacrifice  of  the  mass)  to  propitiate 
God  toward  himself  and  his  congregation.  The 
efficacy  of  that  sacrifice  was  made  to  depend  on  the 
sincerity  and  rectitude  of  intention,  not  in  the  conmiuni- 
cants,  but  in  the  priest ;  he,  assuming  the  character  of 
mediator  and  intercessor,  prayed,  not  with,  but  for  the 
people,  in  a  tongue  unknown  to  them,  and  in  an  inaudible 
voice ;  the  whole  style  and  character  of  the  service  being 
evidently  far  different  from  what  the  apostle  must 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  25 


have  intended  to  '  pray  for  one  another.'  The  priest 
undertook  to  reconcile  transgressors  with  the  Almighty, 
by  prescribing  penances,  to  be  performed  by  them  in 
order  to  obtain /iw  absolution;  and,  profanely  copying 
our  only  High  Priest,  pretended  to  transfer  to  tlieni 
his  own  merits,  or  those  of  his  saints.  He,  like  a 
pagan  rather  than  a  Jewish  priest,  kept  hidden  from 
the  people  the  volume  of  their  faith,  that  they  might 
with  ignorant  reverence  submit  to  the  dominion  of 
error,  instead  of  being  'made  free  by  the  truth,' 
which  he,  as  a  Christian  teacher,  was  expressly  com- 
missioned to  make  known ;  thus  '  hiding  the  candle 
under  a  bushel '  which  was  designed  to  be  '  a  light  to 
lighten  the  nations.'" — Whatebj's  Discourse  hefore  the 
University  of  Oxford. 

The  above  description  of  the  Romish  priesthood 
and  religion,  is  but  too  true  a  picture  of  the  kind 
of  system  by  which  millions  of  our  interesting  popula- 
tion are  enslaved ;  by  which  they  are  fatally  misled, 
and  kept  in  a  state  of  perpetual  hostility  to  their 
Protestant  fellow-subjects,  whom  they  are  taught  to 
regard  as  heretics,  justly  doomed  to  death  and  per- 
dition. It  mil  be  seen  by  Dr.  Whately's  statements, 
that  their  system  of  teaching  is  not  only  deplorably 
defective,  but  pregnant  with  gross  and  destructive 
error ;  that  the  religion  of  Rome  is  opposed  to  that  of 
the  apostles:  that  its  clergy  arc  profane  pretenders, 
pagan  priests,  hiding  the  candle  under  a  bushel,  by 
wickedbj  keeping  hidden  from  the  people  the  volume 
of  their  faith,  that  they  may  by  ignorant  reverence 
submit  to  the  dominion  of  error.  Such,  exactly,  is  the 
religion  of  the  Church  of  Eome  to-day,  "  unchanged 
and  unchangeable,"  which  must,  in  its  natural  ten- 


26  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


dency,  lead  to  results  the  most  disastrous,  not  only  to 
the  interests  of  tlie  nation  itself,  but  to  the  millions 
who  are  under  its  fell  delusions.  And  is  this  the 
system,  to  conciliate  which  the  learned  prelate,  in 
the  "  National  Board,"  "  kept  hidden  the  volume  of 
faith ;"  and  for  whose  support  and  perpetuation  he  gave 
his  sanction  to  the  permanent  endowment  of  the 
College  of  Maynooth  ?  Alas,  my  country !  when  the 
most  distinguished  men  in  church  and  state  unite  in 
aiding,  in  their  foul  designs,  those  who  pollute  the 
streams  of  instruction  at  their  very  source. 

You  will  not,  I  hope,  deem  me  pertinacious  on  this 
point.  The  great  barriers  to  the  world's  happiness 
and  freedom,  I  most  religiously  believe,  have  been  the 
dogmas  and  assumptions  of  the  church,  to  which 
reference  is  made  in  the  statements  just  placed  before 
you.  These  continue  in  their  full  force,  so  as  to 
obstruct  the  improvement  of  our  nation ;  and,  until 
the  minds  of  enlightened  and  benevolent  Christians 
are  fully  awake  to  this  fact,  they  will  be  led,  by  a 
spurious  liberality  to  the  men,  to  overlook  the  system 
of  delusion  by  which  they  are  betrayed  !  or,  perhaps, 
fondly  to  imagine  it  is  considerably  ameliorated  in  its 
character,  and  thus,  under  this  mistake,  misapply  the 
charity,  which  might  otherwise  be  efficiently  directed 
to  the  regeneration  of  the  country. 

"  There  is,  perhaps,  no  opinion  that  manifests  more 
an  entire  ignorance  of  Satan's  profound  artifices,  and 
consummate  insidiousness,  than  that  which  of  late  years 
has  crept  into  the  judgments  of  some  of  the  best  men 
in  Great  Britain — that  Popery  had  changed  its  cha- 
racter with  the  times.  Tliis  opinion  originated  in  a 
practical  ignorance  of  its  working,  and  a  blind  reliance 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  27 


on  its  assertions ;  for  even  reflecting  persons  forgot,  or 
believed  not,  that  the  system  is  one  of  equivocation 
from  first  to  last.  English-bred  gentlemen  and  Pro- 
testants, generally  men  of  ti-uth  themselves,  and  therefore 
not  suspecting  the  want  of  it  in  others,  credited  every- 
thing that  was  advanced.  They  had  no  experience  of 
their  own ;  nothing  to  contradict  assertion,  but  what 
was  advanced  on  the  other  side ;  and  having  thus  no 
tangible  or  visible  symptoms  to  assist  them  in  judging 
of  the  truth  which  was  carefully  concealed  from  them, 
they  attributed  the  opposite  allegations  to  bigotry,  and 
tluis  were  led  to  seal  the  death-warrant  of  England's 
Protestant  independence. 

"  They  have  many  of  them,  however,  at  last  found  out 
this  truth,  although,  it  is  feared,  too  late,  that  Popery 
in  the  nineteenth  century  is  the  same  in  principle  that 
it  was  in  the  tenth — the  self-same  ingenious  system  of 
error;  with  tliis  addition,  that  it  is  now  more  setoff 
with  all  the  gloss  of  Jesuitism,  spread  over  it  to  dazzle 
and  pervert." — Dr.  H.  J.  M.  Mason's  Life  of  Bedell. 

The  above  sentiments  coming,  as  they  do,  from  the 
judicious  pen  of  Dr.  Mason,  cannot  but  carry  great 
weight  with  them  on  this  question.  The  patient  appli- 
cation of  his  accomplished  mind  to  the  state  of  Ireland 
must  have  enabled  him  to  form  a  good  judgment  on  the 
subject;  while  his  connection  with  the  Irish  Society, 
in  furnishing  the  grand  means  of  Ireland's  evangeliza- 
tion— -the  whole  of  the  sacred  Scriptures  in  the  Irish 
language — entitle  him  to  a  distinguished  place  among 
the  real  benefactors  of  his  country. 

In  his  "  State  of  Ireland,"  already  referred  to,  Spen- 
ser says, — "  The  fault  which  I  have  to  find  in  religion 
is  but  one,  but  the  same  is  universal  throughout  all 


28  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


that  country ;  that  is,  that  they  be  all  Papists  by  their 
profession,  but  in  the  same  so  blindly  and  brutishly 
infoiTOcd,  for  the  most  part,  that  not  one  among  a  hun- 
dred knoweth  any  ground  of  religion,  or  any  article 
of  his  faith;  but  can  say  his  Palo- or  his  Ave-Maria 
without  any  knowledge  or  understanding  what  one 
word  thereof  meaneth.  .  .  .  For  religion  itself  being 
but  one,  so  as  there  is  but  one  way  therein ;  for  that 
which  is  true,  only  is,  and  the  rest  is  not  at  all."  And 
as  to  the  means  by  which  the  Irish  may  be  retrieved 
from  their  ignorance  and  spiritual  destitution  and 
wretchedness,  the  same  author  observes: — "Yet,  in 
planting  of  religion,  thus  much  is  needful  to  be  ob- 
served, that  it  be  not  sought  forcibly  to  be  impressed 
with  terror  and  sharp  penalties,  as  now  is  the  manner  ; 
but  rather  delivered  and  intimated  with  mildness  and 
gentleness,  so  as  it  may  not  be  hated  before  it  be  un- 
derstood ;  and  its  professors  despised  and  rejected. 
And  therefore  it  is  expedient  that  some  discreet  minis- 
ters of  their  own  countrymen  be  sent  over  among  them, 
which,  by  their  meek  persuasions  and  instructions,  as 
also  by  their  sober  lives  and  conversations,  may  draw 
them  first  to  understand,  and  afterward  to  embrace,  the 
doctrine  of  their  salvation. 

"  For  if  that  the  ancient  godly  fathers,  which  first 
converted  them,  when  they  were  infidels,  to  the  faith, 
were  able  to  pull  them  from  idolatry  and  paganism  to 
the  true  belief  in  Christ — how  much  more  easily  shall 
godly  teachers  bring  them  to  the  true  understanding 
of  that  which  they  already  professed  ?"  He  then  re- 
proaches the  idle  ministers  for  not  "  winning  souls  to 
God,"  and  that  they  did  not  "  look  out  into  God's  har- 
vest which  is  even  ready  for  the  sickle,  and  all  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  29 


fields  yellow  long  ago."  "Thus  I  have,"  he  adds, 
"  run  through  the  state  of  the  -whole  country,  both  to 
let  you  see  what  it  now  is,  and  also  what  it  may  be  by- 
good  care  and  amendment." — Vieiu  of  the  State  of  Ire- 
land. 

Such  were  the  sentiments  of  this  extraordinary  man 
in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth ;  and  if  any  candid  man  in- 
quire into  the  subject  now,  and  compare  the  state  of 
things  with  regard  to  that  church,  he  will  find  that, 
unless  in  those  cases  where  the  gospel  has  efiected  a 
change,  the  description  is  but  too  faithful  to  life  in  the 
reign  of  Victoria ;  and  the  very  same  means  which 
were  then  requisite  for  the  "amendment"  of  the  con- 
dition of  the  people  are  now  requisite  for  the  same 
great  purpose. 

That  illustrious  prelate,  Archbishop  Usher,  deeply 
lamented  the  errors  by  which  his  "  poor  countrymen  " 
in  his  day  were  misled  ;  and  although  his  natural  gen- 
tleness and  mildness,  and  the  extreme  tenderness  of 
affection  with  which  he  regai-ded  the  deluded  votaries 
of  Romanism,  caused  him  sometimes,  perhaps,  to  act 
toward  them  with  too  much  caution,  and  even  occa- 
sioned a  fear  that  Bishop  Bedell  had  gone  to  imprudent 
lengths  in  his  manner  of  diffusing  truth  and  confront- 
ing falsehood;  yet  he  abhorred  the  system  of  Popery, 
and  denounced  it  as  a  foul  apostasy  from  Christianity 
and  from  the  ancient  faith  of  the  country;  and  de- 
voutly labored  and  prayed  for  its  utter  extinction,  and 
for  the  progress  and  triumph  of  the  truth  in  the  world. 
In  his  book  on  the  ancient  religion  of  the  Irish,  he  ex- 
prcsse;  himself  in  very  affecting  terms  : — 

"  I  confess  I  somewhat  incline  to  be  of  yonr  mind, 
that  if  unto  the  authorities  drawn  of  Scriptures  and 


30  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


fathers,  (-wliicli  are  common  to  us  witli  others,)  a  true 
discovery  were  added  of  that  religion  which  anciently 
was  professed  in  this  kingdom ;  it  might  prove  a  spe- 
cial motive  to  induce  my  poor  countrymen  to  consider 
a  little  better  of  the  old  and  true  way  from  which  they 
have  been  hitherto  misled.  Yet,  on  the  one  side,  that 
saying  in  the  Gospel  ran  much  in  my  mind :  '  If  they 
hear  not  Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  will  they  be 
persuaded  though  one  rose  from  the  dead.'  And,  on 
the  other,  that  heavy  judgment  mentioned  by  the 
apostle  :  '  Because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the 
truth  that  they  might  be  saved,  God  shall  send  them 
strong  delusion  that  they  should  believe  a  lie.'  The 
woful  experience  thereof  we  may  see  daily  before  our 
eyes  in  this  poor  nation :  where  such  as  are  slow  of 
heart  to  beUeve  the  saving  truth  of  God,  delivered  by 
the  prophets  and  apostles,  do  with  all  greediness  em- 
brace, and  with  the  most  strange  kind  of  credulity  en- 
tertain, those  lying  legends  wherewith  their  monks 
and  friars  in  these  latter  days  have  polluted  the  reli- 
gion and  lives  of  our  ancient  saints." 

Again,  speaking  of  penance  as  superseding  genuine 
repentance,  which  was  insisted  on  by  the  ancient 
church  in  Ireland,  he  says, — "  By  the  new  device  of 
sacramental  penance,  the  matter  is  now  far  more  easily 
transacted ;  by  virtue  of  the  keys,  the  sinner  is  very 
instantly  of  attrile  made  contrite,  and  thereupon,  as  soon 
as  he  has  made  his  confession,  he  presently  receives 
his  absolution,  after  this  some  trivial  penance  is  im- 
posed, which,  upon  better  consideration,  may  be  con- 
verted into  pence,  and  so  a  quick  end  is  made  of  many 
a  foul  business." 

"  The  Lord  of  his  mercy  open  their  eyes,  that  they 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  31 


may  see  the  light,  and  give  them  grace  to  '  receive  the 
love  of  the  truth,  that  they  may  be  saved !'  The  Lord 
likewise  grant  (if  it  be  his  blessed  will)  that  truth  and 
peace  may  meet  together  in  our  day,  that  we  may  be 
all  gathered  into  one  fold,  under  one  Shepherd,  and 
that  the  whole  earth  may  be  filled  with  his  glory ! 
Ameu  and  Amen." — Usher's  Religion  of  the  Ancient 
Imh. 

The  state  of  things  which,  centuries  ago,  the  great 
Usher  deplored,  the  pious  and  devoted  Bishop  Bedell, 
as  well  as  his  'distinguished  contemporary,  mourned 
over  ;  and  for  the  efi'ecting  of  a  change  in  it,  he  anx- 
iously and  zealously  prosecuted  the  labors  of  his  life. 
"  He  observed,"  says  Bishop  Burnett,  "  with  much  re- 
gret, that  the  English  had  all  along  neglected  the 
Irish — had  left  them  wholly  in  the  hands  of  their 
jjriests.  And,  indeed,  their  priests  were  a  strange 
sort  of  people,  that  knew  generally  nothing  but  the 
reading  of  their  offices,  which  were  not  so  much  as 
understood  by  many  of  them,  and  they  taught  the 
people  nothing  but  the  sajnng  of  their  Paters  and  Aves 
in  Latin,  so  that  the  state,  both  of  the  clergj-  and  laity, 
was  such  that  it  could  not  but  raise  great  compassion 
in  a  man  that  had  so  tender  a  sense  of  the  value  of 
those  souls  that  Christ  had  purchased  with  his  blood. 
Therefore  he  resolved  to  set  about  that  apostolical  work 
of  converting  the  natives  with  a  zeal  and  care  that 
such  an  understanding  required.  For  they  had  no 
sort  of  notion  of  Christianity,  but  only  knew  that  they 
were  to  depend  upon  their  priests,  and  were  to  con- 
fess such  of  their  actions  as  the)-  called  sins,  to  them ; 
and  to  pay  them  tithes."  Again  :  "  He  also  thought 
the  ti-ue  interest  of  England  was  to  gain  the  Irish  to  a 


32  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


knowledge  of  religion,  and  to  bring  them,  b}-  the 
means  of  that  which  only  turns  the  heart,  to  love  the 
English  nation  :  and  so  he  judged  the  wisdom  of  that 
course  was  apparent,  as  well  as  the  piety  of  it." — Life 

of  Bedell. 

Bishop  Bedell,  in  his  sermon  on  Rev.  xviii,  4,  care- 
fully distinguishes  between  the  religion  of  Rome  as  a 
system,  and  those  who,  though  influenced  by  better 
principles,  were  unhappily  in  her  communion ;  and 
shows  the  duty  of  Christians  in  co-operating  with 
Christ  to  persuade  them  to  "  come  out  of  her."  "  And 
first,  and  most  properly,  to  those  that  this  scripture 
most  concerns  and  is  directed  unto — the  people  of  God 
holden  in  captivity  of  Roman  Baby  lon  ;  but,  alas ! 
they  are  not  here,  for  this  is  one  part  of  their  captivity, 
that  they  are  kept  not  only  from  hearing  the  voice  of 
the  servants  of  Christ,  or  of  St.  John,  the  beloved 
disciple,  but  of  himself  speaking  here  from  heaven. 

 Tell  them  then,  that  it  is  acknowledged  by 

their  own  doctors,  that  Rome  is  Babylon ;  and  it  is 
averred  that  this  is  the  present  Papal  monarchy ;  that 
out  of  this  tlicy  must  depart,  by  the  conmiands  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ's  own  voice,  under  pain  of  being 
accessory  to  all  her  sins,  and  liable  to  all  her  punish- 
ments. Wish  them  to  use  the  liberty  to  read  the  Holy 
Scrij^tures,  and  to  come  out  of  the  blind  obedience  of 
men's  precepts  and  traditions  the  new  and  de- 
testable doctrines,  derogatory  to  the  blood  of  Christ, 
which  moderate  men,  even  of  her  own  subjects,  detest. 

"  Give  me  leave,  right  honorable,  to  put  you  in  mind 
that  this  also  belongcth  to  your  care,  to  co-opcirjie  with 
Christ  in  bringing  his  people  out  of  the  Romish  cap- 
tivity.   And  if  to  help  away  a  poor  captive  out  of 


MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELET.  33 


Turkey  hath  been  honorable  to  some  public  ministers, 
what  shall  it  be  to  help  to  the  enlarging  of  so  many- 
thousand  souls  out  of  the  bondage  of  men's  traditions, 
and  gaining  to  his  Majesty  so  many  entii'e  subjects  ? 

"  Finally  :  let  us  all  beseech  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
to  give  us  wisdom  and  opportunity  to  further  his  work, 
and  to  give  success  unto  the  same  himself ;  to  hasten 
the  judgment  of  Babylon  ;  to  bring  his  people  out  of 
this  bondage  :  that  we,  with  them,  and  the  saints  in  the 
church  triumphant,  may  thereupon  sing,  '  Salvation, 
and  glory,  and  honor,  and  power,  be  unto  the  Lord 
our  God.'  Amen." 

The  recorded  testimony  of  another  competent  and 
unprejudiced  witness  will  serve  to  conform  the  view  I 
have  taken  on  this  subject : — "  Having  these  many 
years  past  witnessed,  and  deeply  deplored,  the  evils 
that  have  been  distracting  and  oppressing  my  native 
country,  [Ireland ;]  and  been  carefully  weighing  the 
various  opinions  and  methods  from  time  to  time 
adopted,  but  in  vain,  to  heal  them,  I  came  at  length 
to  this  conclusion,  which  I  now  lay  before  your  grace, 
that  to  one  point  alone,  nearly,  if  not  altogether,  unob- 
served, are  all  these  perplexities  to  the  state,  injuries 
to  Ireland,  and  vexatious  disappointments  to  my  Ro- 
man Catholic  fellow-subjects  attributable.  My  convic- 
tion is,  that  the  hidden  core  of  the  whole  is  a  dire 
system  of  deep-laid  religious  imposture,  combined  with 
a  spirit  of  insatiable  domination  on  the  one  hand,  and 
on  the  other  a  mistake,  operating  on  unsuspecting 
multitudes,  which — if  not  vigorously  and  timely  check- 
ed, either  by  judicious  exposure,  or  the  strong  arm  of 
the  law,  to  awe  the  turbulent,  for  no  half  measures  can 
avail — vnW,  most  assuredly,  ultimately  succeed  in  sap- 


34  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


ping  tlie  constitution,  destroying  all  genuine  civil  and 
religious  liberty,  and  filling  these  realms  with  confusion 
and  misery.  Let  this  dire  imposture  then  be  laid  open, 
and  the  fatal  mistake  removed :  so  shall  all  these  evils 
at  once  cease ;  and  all  our  fellow-subjects  can  then, 
with  perfect  safety,  be  indiscriminately  admitted  to 
equal  privileges ;  and  henceforth  shall  they  be  united 
in  amity  and  Christian  kindness,  to  vex  or  afflict  each ' 
other  no  more. 

"  This  state  of  things  is  the  earnest  desire  of  every 
honest  heart  on  both  sides,  and  what  I  have  for  many 
years  been  laboring  and  praying  for  ;  and  O  that  my 
God  may  grant,  that  now,  at  length,  I  may  have  the 
happiness,  ere  my  head  be  laid  in  the  dust,  to  see  it 
accomplished.  In  order  to  this,  I  beg  to  make  the 
following  statement*: — The  Roman  Catholic  clergy  are 
sworn  to  the  divinity  of  the  gospel ;  that  aU  faithful 
followers  of  it  are  true  Christians ;  and  that  all  doc- 
trines, worship,  and  teachers,  opposed  to  it,  are  false, 

accursed,  and  idolatrous  But  they  are  also 

sworn  to  teach  mankind  the  Creed  of  Pope  Pius  IV., 
containing  many  doctrines,  and  worship,  opposed  to 
the  reUgion  of  Christ,  as  the  only  ancient  faith,  without 
which  none  can  be  saved;  and  to  condemn,  reject, and 
hold  accursed,  all  things — every  book,  religion,  man, 
state,  &c. — opposed  to  it,  as  heretical,  and  to  extermi- 
nate them  in  every  way  possible.  Here  lies  the  deso- 
lating imposture.  By  thus  swearing  to  the  truth,  they 
throw  dust  in  the  people's  eyes;  and  then  palm  on 
them  its  opposite — theu'  fatal  creed !   This  point  should 

be  ever  kept  in  view  Now  the  pope  and  liis 

clergy,  though  sworn  to  the  tinith  of  the  gospel,  and  to 
the  falsehood  of  all  doctrines  and  teachers  opposed  to 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  35 


it,  are  sworu  to  teach  the  Trent  Creed,  that  of  Pope 

Pius  IV  Hence  they  are,  by  this  last  oath 

and  creed,  sworn  to  contradict  their  first  oath  and  the 
gospel  of  God,  in  order  this  way  to  uphold  the  Papacy, 
and  to  subjugate  mankind  to  thcii-  wretched  domina- 
tion, or  exterminate  them  where  power  enough  to  do 
so  is  had." — Ouseley's  Letter  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington, 
Feb.,  1829. 

Again :  "  It  must  be  obvious  to  all  Romanists  of  any 
information,  that  the  .pope's  creed — his  ftxtal  system  of 
religion,  which  he  and  his  priests  are  sworn  to  each 
other  to  teach  as  the  only  true  laith  of  Christ — is  di- 
rectly opposite  to  that  gospel  which  they  behcve  is  his 
true  faith ;  and  is  therefore  a  sj-stem,  a  religion,  of  the 
most  notorious  falsehood,  idolatry,  cruelty,  and  hypoc- 
risy, that  the  world  ever  witnessed.  Hence,  when  the 
laity  suficr  themselves  to  be  so  cheated  as  to  follow  it, 
do  they  not  madly  follow  the  broad  road  to  tlieir 
shame  and  ruin  ;  what  they  must  now  see  is  the  very 
contran,-  of  Christ's  sacred  religion  ?  And  hence 
arises,  of  course,  the  difference  of  faith  between  them 
and  aU  true  Protestants.  Must  they  not,  therefore, 
now  perceive  that,  while  ever  they  adhere  to  this  per- 
nicious system  and  its  teachers,  they  must  ever  hate 
Protestants,  and  earnestly  desire  to  sec  them  extermi- 
nated ?  [See  Appendix  B.]  Should  they  not,  there- 
fore, clearly  undei-stand  that  it  is  solely  on  this  ground 
that  all  enlightened  Protestants,  dreading  these  prin- 
ciples as  they  do,  fear  so  much  to  intrust  them  with 
that  power  which  would  enable  them  to  act  according 
to  their  fatal  system,  and  eventually  destroy  them  and 
their  dearest  institutions  ?  ]Mi-.  Plunkett,  in  his  speech, 
November,  1822,  on  a  ribbonman's  trial,  said:  'The 


36 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


object  and  oath  of  the  ribbonmen  are,  it  is  unques- 
tionably proved,  the  subversion  of  the  constitution ; 
the  separation  of  Ireland  from  Great  Britain  ;  the  ex- 
tirpation of  all  the  Protestant  inhabitants  out  of  the 
country ;  and  to  establish  the  Roman  Cathohc  religion 
in  their  stead.'  No  marvel  at  all,  when  their  clergy 
are  sworn  that '  Protestants  are  accui-sed  heretics,  who 
should  be  rooted  out.'" — Ouseley's  Letter  to  the  Bt. 
Hon.  Robert  Peel,  Feb.,  1829. 

Numerous  instances  might  be  adduced  to  exhibit  the 
system  to  which  the  above  records  refer,  as  the  fruitful 
source  of  all  our  country's  miseries  and  wrongs;  but  I 
do  not  like  to  swell  this  letter  to  an  unreasonable 
length,  already,  it  is  to  be  feared,  too  much  in  detail. 
When,  however,  these  doctrines,  which  are  instilled 
into  the  minds  of  the  peasantry  from  very  infancy, 
are  merely  adverted  to,  can  it  be  thought  surprising 
that  the  peace  and  security  of  society  are  deeply  af- 
fected ?  Nay  :  the  wonder  is,  that  more  frequent  and 
deadly  convulsions  do  not  rend  our  lovely,  though 
unhappy,  land. 

These  views  will  suffer  no  diminution  in  your  con- 
sideration or  respect,  by  the  sanction  of  the  venerable 
name  of  Ouseley.  The  letters  from  wliich  the  above 
exb-acts  are  taken  were  occasioned  by  a  great  political 
emergency  in  the  state.  Though  written  late  in  life, 
and  in  the  midst  of  important  avocations,  yet  they  are 
characterized  by  a  vigor  of  thought,  force  of  reason- 
ing, and  justness  of  conclusion,  which  give  indication 
of  a  master-mind,  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  sub- 
ject. His  arguments  have  not  yet  been  answered, 
and  must  remain  unanswered  for  ever.  Nay,  the 
events  which  he  so  devoutly  and  ardently  deprecated 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  37 


have  but  too  well  confirmed  the  prediction  of  the  aged 
seer. 

Great  deference  is,  in  my  mind,  due  to  his  opinion, 
as  being  no  ordinary  judge  in  all  matters  connected 
■with  the  political,  moral,  and  rehgious  improYcment  of 
Ireland.  No  one  took  a  more  matured  view  of  the 
question  than  did  Mr.  Ouseley.  The  discriminating 
powers  of  that  gifted  man  having  been  for  half  a  cen- 
tury exercised  on  things  involving  the  best  interests 
of  his  native  land,  he  saw  the  evil  by  wliich  its  millions 
were  affected,  and  knew  the  sole  remedy  to  be  resorted 
to  for  its  removal,  and  for  healing  the  disorders  of  the 
country.  His  zeal  for  truth  was  free  from  the  tinge 
of  party  spirit ;  he  lost  sight  of  mere  sectarian  distinc- 
tions— searched  out  principles — exhibited  their  ten- 
dency— and  faithfully  declared,  both  by  preaching  and 
by  epistles,  the  truth  by  which  the  "  peoi-le  "  are  to 
be  made  free.  Thus,  while  he  was  the  uncompro- 
mising enemy  of  error,  he  breathed  naught  but  pity 
for  those  who  were  under  its  fatal  influence.  He 
spent  his  life  in  laboring  for  the  regeneration  of  his 
country,  and  often  had  he  the  happiness  of  witnessing 
the  gracious  effects  which  followed  the  promulgation 
of  the  truths  of  the  gospel,  in  the  enlightenment  and 
conversion  of  thousands. 

The  various  and  extensive  knowledge  of  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley, his  deep  and  patient  research,  and  his  keenness 
and  accuracy  of  judgment,  were  all  brought  to  bear 
■\nth  admirable  effect  on  the  several  subjects  which  are 
embraced  in  his  writings ;  and  by  his  logical  acuteness 
and  power  of  analysis  he  penetrated  the  arcana  of 
error,  detected  its  subtilties,  and  held  up  to  merited 
8Corn  and  abhorrence  the  corrupt  inventions  of  design- 


38  JIEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


ing  and  wicked  men ;  that  he  might  haply  disabuse  the 
minds  of  his  erring  countrjnuen,  and  lead  them  out  of 
the  gross  and  dangerous  delusions  of  "  Papal  novelty," 
into  the  uncoiTupted  and  peaceful  truth  of  "  old  Chris- 
tianity.'" 

"  Indeed,  if  we  bring  the  entire  subject  to  a  trial,  by 
the  only  proper  test  of  genuine  charity,  whether  mani- 
festing itself  toward  the  bodies  or  souls  of  men,  the 
more  even  there  is  of  the  march  of  intellect  to  instruct 
our  judgment,  and  the  less  there  is  of  bigotry  to  preju- 
dice our  feelings,  so  much  the  more  must  the  system 
of  Popery,  particularly  if  connected  with  Jesuitism,  be 
jealously  eyed  by  well-disposed  mii^ls.  Its  buoyant 
ambition,  which  nothing  can  ever  suppress;  its  esta- 
bhshing,  wherever  it  flourishes,  an  imperiim  in  imperio, 
chiefly  by  means  of  its  confessional,  the  more  powerful 
as  it  operates  through  the  conscience,  and  with  the 
sanction  of  eternal  motives ;  its  encouragement  of  igno- 
rance, for  ever  shunning  the  light;  its  falsehood,  by 
which  it  lives,  and  thrives,  and  reigns,  in  everything 
justifying  the  means  by  the  end ;  its  slavery,  and  all 
such  evil  consequences  that  naturally  flow  from  it, 
must  ever  make  it  to  be  dreaded  by  the  true  statesman 
or  the  patriot ;  while  the  Christian  of  any  reflection  or 
experience  must  abhor  it  in  its  certain  results  of  lead- 
ing the  devout  to  idolatry  and  the  indifferent  to  infi- 
delity."— Mason's  Life  of  Bedell. 

I  shall  close  this  part  of  the  subject  with  a  reference 
to  a  Roman  Catholic  writer,  to  show  that  the  history 
of  Ireland's  wrongs  commenced  with  its  submission  to 
the  yoke  of  Rome : — "  There  is  something  very  singu- 
lai-  in  the  ecclesiastical  history  of  Ireland.  The  Chris- 
tian church  of  that  country,  as  founded  by  St.  Patrick 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELEY.  39 


and  his  predecessors,  existed  for  many  ages  free  and 
unshackled.  For  about  seven  hundred  years  this 
church  maintained  its  independence.  It  had  no  con- 
nection with  England,  and  differed  upon  points  of  im- 
portance from  Rome.  The  first  work  of  Henry  II. 
was  to  reduce  the  Church  of  Ireland  into  obedience  to 
the  Roman  pontiif.  Accordingly  he  procured  a  coun- 
cil of  the  Irish  clergy  to  be  held  at  Cashel,  in  1172, 
and  the  combined  influence  of  Henry  and  the  pope 
prevailed.  This  council  put  an  end  to  the  ancient 
Church  of  Ireland,  and  submitted  it  to  the  yoke  of 
Rome.  That  ominous  apostasy  has  been  followed  by 
a  series  of  calamities,  hardly  to  be  equaled  in  the  world. 
From  the  days  of  Patrick  to  the  Council  of  Casliel,  was 
a  bright  and  glorious  career  for  Ireland.  From  the 
sitting  of  this  council  to  our  time,  the  lot  of  Ireland  has 
been  unmixed  evil,  and  all  her  history  a  tale  of  wo." 
— O'Driscoirs  Views  of  Ireland. 

Far  be  the  wish  from  me  to  draw  an  exaggerated 
picture  of  the  misfortunes  of  my  country,  or  to  con- 
found the  distinctions  which  truth  as  well  as  justice 
would  teach  me  to  preserve :  the  details  of  a  criminal 
character  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  are,  alas  I 
too  well  known,  and  the  evidence,  drawn  from  un- 
doubted resources,  has  been  adduced,  that  the  question 
may  appear  in  a  fair  and  true  point  of  light;  and  I 
conceive  that  nothing  can  be  more  palpable  than  that 
the  maladies  under  which  our  nation  languishes  are 
superinduced  by  the  causes  to  which,  by  the  high  au- 
thorities above  quoted,  they  have  been  ascribed.  Yet 
it  is  not  for  a  moment  to  be  supposed  that  such  repre- 
sentations as  have  been  made  are  descriptive  of  all 
who  are  known  by  the  distinctive  appellation  of  Irish, 


40  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  these  there  are 
whose  better  feelings  rise  above  the  prejudices  of 
their  system ;  who  deprecate  the  evils,  political  and  so- 
cial, with  which  they  are  surrounded ;  and  who  would 
rejoice  to  shake  off"  the  ignominious  bondage  wliich 
neither  they  nor  their  fathers  have  been  able  to  bear. 
The  great  bulk  of  the  Irish  population,  if  left  to  the  un- 
biased exercise  of  their  own  judgment,  and  protected 
from  violence  and  persecution,  would  gladly  hear,  and 
in  innumerable  instances  receive,  the  message  of  gospel 
grace  and  salvation. 

My  opinions  may,  possibly,  not  be  free  from  those 
predilections  which  the  love  of  country  is  likely  to  in- 
duce ;  but,  from  a  long  and  intimate  acquiuntance  with 
the  Irish,  and  having  been  frequently  a  witness  of  the 
effects  accompanying  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
among  them,  it  has  become  my  settled  conviction  that 
as  there  is  no  portion  of  the  great  mission  field  which 
has  stronger  claims  on  our  Christian  sympathies,  so 
there  is  none  that  would  more  richly  reward  our  liber- 
ality and  toil. 

It  cannot  be  thought  sui-prising  that  men  whose  minds 
have  never  been  raised  above  mere  secular  views — 
who  have  never  themselves  felt  the  power  of  the  gos- 
pel— should  resort  to  mere  political  schemes  for  the 
improvement  of  our  country ;  but  those  wlio  acknow- 
ledge the  supremacy  of  XRUxn  repose  their  confidence 
in  the  efficacy  of  the  gospel,  and  the  accompanying 
agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  its  enlightenment  and 
regeneration.  The  time  must  come  when  the  claims 
of  truth  shall  be  demonstrated,  and  this  confidence 
justified  before  the  world;  when  Christian  churches 
shall  be  thrown  upon  their  own  resources,  and  roused 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  41 


to  an  energy  of  action  in  the  great  enterprise  by  wliich 
the  country  will  undergo  a  moral  conquest ;  when  their 
voluntary  exertions  and  conUibutions  will  be  conse- 
crated to  this  hallowed  end :  and  the  "  foolishness  of 
preaching  "  shall  accomplish  that  which  neither  penal 
laws,  nor  conciliatory  measures  of  the  state,  have  been 
ever  able  to  effect.  Yours,  &c. 


L^ITTER  m. 

Aspect  of  society— Though  d'ucouraginj,  not  hopeless — Confidence  inspired— Effecla 
of  the  labors  of  Wesley,  etc.,  on  the  present  improved  condition  of  religious  society — 
Re».  Gideon  Oiiseley — Rev.  George  Whitefield— Nearly  shipwrecked — Puts  into 
county  of  Clare — Passes  on  through  Limerick  and  Dublin  to  Park  Gate — Rev.  Joha 
Wesley— First  visit  to  Ireland— Rev.  Charles  Wesley— Progress  of  Methodism  tu 
Ireland— Diocese  of  Mealh — Correspondence  between  the  Rev.  Moore  Booker  and 
the  bishop  of  Meath — Closing  remarks. 

My  Dear  Friend, — From  the  concurrent  opinions, 
given  in  my  last,  of  distinguished  writers  of  various 
religious  views,  aud  hving  in  different  ages,  corrobo- 
rating the  sentiments  which  I  had  advanced,  it  will 
appear  evident  to  you,  that  the  greatest  evil  of  our 
nation  is  a  spui-ious  system  of  religion,  deeply  laid  and 
widely  extended,  which  can  only  be  removed  by  the 
light  and  power  of  genuine  Christianity.  However 
dark  ami  deplorable  this  state  of  things  may  be,  it  is 
far  from  being  hopeless ;  the  experience  of  the  past 
inspires  confidence  for  the  future,  and  pl^Dmpts  to  a 
still  more  energetic  course  of  action  for  the  achieve- 
ment of  our  hallowed  object — the  salvation  of  our 
counti-y. 

Tlie  patient  toils  and  persevering  constancy  of  the 
faithful  laborers  engaged,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Methodist  Conference,  in  years  gone  b}-,  in  the  culti- 


42  MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


vation  of  the  moral  soil,  and  casting  into  it  the  seed  of 
the  gospel;  and  the  wonderful  success  with  which 
God  was  pleased  to  honor  liis  servants,  had  no  small 
influence  on  the  religious  movement  which  of  late 
years  has  distinguished  the  churches  of  the  country. 
And  the  success  of  benevolent  societies  during  the 
present  century,  has,  notwithstanding  formidable 
difficulties,  been  surprising,  in  the  promotion  of  Scrip- 
tural education,  and  in  the  diffusion  of  the  volume  of 
divine  truth,  both  in  the  authorized  version  and  in  the 
Irish  language.  This  affords  great  encouragement  to 
godly  men  belonging  to  the  evangelical  churches,  to 
prosecute  their  plans  with  greater  ardor  and  fidelity ; 
being  thus  assured,  that,  in  due  time,  they  shall  reap  if 
they  faint  not. 

I  have  said  that  I  care  not  by  what  agency  the 
progress  of  error  shall  be  arrested  and  the  interests  of 
truth  advanced ;  yet  I  cannot  shut  my  eyes  to  the 
fact,  that  long  before  the  existence  of  any  such 
agencies  as  those  just  adverted  to,  for  the  enlighten- 
ment of  the  people  of  this  land,  a  system  of  missionary- 
instruction  was  in  efficient  and  extensive  operation,  by 
the  instrumentality  of  the  Rev.  John  and  Charles 
Wesley,  and  their  coadjutors  and  successors.  It  might 
have  been  said  of  them,  "  Your  zeal  hath  provoked 
very  many."  Provoked  them,  indeed,  to  a  "  godly 
jealousy."  And  it  wiU  be  only  known  in  the  light  of 
eternity,  how  far  the  Christian  world  is  indebted  to 
the  pious  and  zealous  labors  of  the  brothers,  and  their 
unpretending  followers. 

Although  my  principal  object  is  to  exhibit  to  your 
view  the  ministerial  life  and  labors  of  the  Rev.  Gideon 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  43 


Ouseley,  in  connection  with  that  which  may  be  more 
strictly  and  properly  denominated,  "  The  Irish  Mis- 
sion," it  will  be  necessary  to  take  a  brief  retrospective 
survey  of  the  agency  by  which  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  had  been  pleased  previously  to  diffiiso  to  a 
considerable  extent  throughout  this  country  the  know- 
ledge of  his  holy  word. 

The  Rev.  G.  Whitefield,  without  any  previous  inten- 
tion of  visiting  it,  had,  indeed,  been  in  Ireland,  in  1 738. 
He  had  sailed  from  Charleston  in  the  Mary,  bound  for 
England;  but,  after  a'  long  and  perilous  voyage  of 
nine  weeks  and  three  days,  he,  the  captain,  and  crew, 
etc.,  were  nearly  shipwrecked,  and  i-educed  to  the 
greatest  extremity  as  to  provisions,  having  only  one 
pint  of  water,  and  a  little  bread;  but,  pro\'identIally, 
they  were  driven  into  a  small  seaport  in  the  county 
of  Clare,  Carrick-a-holt,  about  eight  miles  lower  down 
the  Shannon  than  Kilrush.  Mr.  "Whitefield  was  treat- 
ed with  the  utmost  hospitality  by  Mr.  M'Mahon,  a 
country  gentleman,  who  also  supplied  him  with  horses 
for  his  journey.  He  reached  Limerick  on  Saturday 
evening,  November  19th,  preached  in  the  cathedral 
next  day,  and  was  received  with  great  kindness  by 
Dr.  Bouscough,  the  bishop  of  Limerick.  On  Thurs- 
day 23d  he  arrived  in  Dublin,  where  he  was  received 
with  great  courtesy  by  Dr.  Rundel,  the  bishop  of 
Londonderiy,  and  by  his  grace,  the  lord  primate,  Dr. 
Boulter.  He  preached  on  Sunday  26  th,  in  Werburg's 
and  St.  Andrew's  churches,  to  crowded  and  astonished 
congregations. 

Thursday,  30th  November,  Mr.  AVhItefield  writes : — 
"  After  nearly  twelve  months'  absence  from  London, 


44         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


three  months  from  Georgia,  and  a  pleasant  passage  of 
twenty-four  hours  from  Dublin,  to  my  inexpressible 
comfort  God  brought  me  to  Park-Gate." 

Mr.  John  Wesley  was  the  Jirst  of  the  noble  band  of 
Oxford  witnesses  who  came  from  England  to  Ireland 
to  unfurl  the  banner  of  the  cross.  He  reached  it  on 
Sunday,  August  9th,  1747,  and  preached  in  Maiy's 
Church.  He  had  been  preceded  by  Mr.  Williams,  one 
of  his  own  preachers,  in  the  early  part  of  the  same  year. 
Mr.  Williams's  labors  were  wonderfully  successful,  and, 
■when  Mr.  Wesley  arrived,  he  found  a  people  prepared 
for  the  word  of  the  Lord.  He  was  soon  followed  by 
his  brother  Charles,  who  labored  successfully  for  a 
considerable  period  through  several  parts  of  Ireland, 
as  well  as  in  Dublin ;  and  when,  in  the  March  following, 
Mr.  John  Wesley  returned  to  Dublin,  he  found  his 
brother  Charles  there,  on  the  eve  of  embarking  for 
England.  Thus  the  brothei-s  succeeded  each  other 
during  the  first  year  of  their  evangelical  labors  in 
Ireland.  In  this  visit,  Mr.  Wesley  was  accompanied 
by  IVIr.  Swindells,  of  whom  I  shall  have  occasion  to 
speak  when  Mr.  Thomas  Walsh's  convei-sion  shall  be 
referred  to. 

"Next  to  their  own  country,"  says  Mr.  Jackson, 
"  the  sympathies  of  the  brothers  were  awakened  in  be- 
half of  Ireland,  where  Protestantism  had  fallen  into  a 
profound  sleep  under  the  shade  of  the  civil  power; 
and  Popery,  ever  watchful  and  active  for  the  attiiin- 
ment  of  its  own  selfish  ends,  was  rapidly  leading  the 
body  of  the  population  into  superstition  and  sin." — 
Centenary  of  ]\Iethodism.  The  masses  of  darkness 
■were  soon  pierced  by  gospel  light;  and  the  stillness 
of  death  disturbed  by  the  voice  of  these  messengers  of 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


45 


mercy,  crying  out,  "  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,  and 
arise  from,  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  thee  light." 
The  success  attending  those  labors  of  the  brothers  and 
their  cotemporaries  scarcely  finds  a  parallel  in  Eng- 
land itself,  "  so  mightily  grew  the  word  of  the  Lord 
and  prevailed."  In  less  than  three  years  this  new  doc- 
trine spread  with  incredible  rapidity.  Not  only  in 
Dublin,  and  some  of  the  larger  towns  and  cities,  but 
even  through  the  rural  districts,  thousands  of  all 
classes  "  received  the  word  with  all  readiness  of  mind, 
and  searched  the  Scriptures  daily,  whether  those  things 
were  so."  The  thirsty  land  became  springs  of  water ; 
masses  of  the  lower  orders  of  society,  and  many  of  the 
Roman  Catholics  themselves,  became  subject  to  the 
faith ;  several  of  the  upper  and  middle  ranks  heard 
"  the  joyful  sound ;"  and  some  of  the  "  priests  them- 
selves believed,  and  put  salvation  on." 

It  cannot  be  thought  surprising  that  very  dissimilar 
views  were  formed,  and  conflicting  feelings  awakened, 
by  such  novel  and  unheard-of  proceedings  as  those 
referred  to  :  while  many  of  the  regular  clergy  regard- 
ed with  peculiar  and  lively  interest  the  preaching  of 
these  devoted  men,  and  frankly  acknowledged  the 
happy  results  produced  in  the  religious  character  of 
the  country,  and  of  the  church  itself ;  it  was  eyed  by 
others  with  jealousy  and  alann ;  and  those  who  favored 
this  new  religion  were  ranked  among  the  enemies  of 
church  and  state.  In  Dublin,  and  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties, the  whole  community  seemed  affected.  ^Many  of 
the  gentry,  and  some  of  the  clergy,  especially  in  the 
diocese  of  Meath,  favored  Methodism ;  while  the  bishop 
and  several  of  bis  clergy  bitterly  opposed  it.  A  most 
important  and  interesting  recoi'd  of  those  times  is 


46  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


handed  down  to  us,  whlcli  shows,  at  once,  the  extraor- 
dinary extent  to  which  it  had  grown,  and  the  hostility 
which  had  been  called  into  operation  against  it. 

The  Rev.  Moore  Booker,  an  aged  and  respectable 
clergjman  of  the  diocese  of  Meath,  wrote  to  his  dio- 
cesan for  instruction  and  advice  how  to  act  with  regard 
to  this  new  sect :  the  bishop  took  offense,  and  treated 
him  with  unmerited  severity ;  and  Mr.  Booker  is  ne- 
cessitated, in  his  own  defense,  to  resort  to  the  publica- 
tion of  his  correspondence  with  the  bishop  and  his 
vicar-general. 

The  letters,  with  a  preface,  were  pubUshed  in  1  751, 
by  J.  Kelburn,  George's  Lane,  Dublin  ;  and  must  have 
had  but  limited  circulation.  We  arc  indebted  to  the 
Rev.  Wm.  Stewart  for  their  republication,  in  1810, 
in  the  Irish  Methodist  Magazine.  With  very  little 
abridgemnt,  I  shall  give  you  this  important  testi- 
mony as  to  the  early  progress  of  ]\Iethodism  in  those 
parts : — 

TO  THE  READER. 
It  is  with  no  small  concern  I  find  myself  under  a  neces- 
sity of  communicating  to  the  public  as  a  finished  pcrfonn- 
ancc,  what  was  only  intended  for  private  correspondence, 
and  as  such  thrown  together  in  the  loose  form  of  a  letter, 
without  any  regard  to  mctliod  or  style.  That  to  my  bishop 
was  written  willi  great  sincerity,  and  I  really  flattered  my- 
self with  the  expectation  of  his  lordship's  thanks  and  appi-o- 
bation ;  nor  had  I  been  more  free  with  his  lordship  than 
often  before  with  impunity.  But  the  very  severe  censure 
my  letter  received  from  a  prelate,  whose  heart  and  inten- 
tion I  honor  in  common  with  mankind,  could  have  pro- 
ceeded only  from  the  strongest  prepossession, 
t  I  could  never  heai-  that  his  lordship  or  the  vicai-general 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEOX  OUSELEY.  47 


had  shown  either  of  their  lettei-s,  yet  by  the  cry  raised 
against  them,  (perhaps  of  one  copy  I  had  given  of  the 
first,)  it  was  believed  a  composition  of  all  false  doctrine, 
heresy,  and  schism,  and  rigorous  proceedings  against  me  ex- 
pected before  I  had  the  least  reason  to  imagine  it,  as  the 
reader  will  find. 

I  hoped  my  second  letter  wonld  have  silenced  all  this 
noise,  till  our  late  visitation,  where  his  lordship,  in  his 
charge  to  the  clergy,  (as  I  was  informed,  coming  too  late 
to  hear  it.)  cautioning  them  against  the  delusion  that  one 
of  their  brethren,  naming  me,  had  unliappily  fallen  under, 
(though  his  lordship  treated  mc,  when  I  appeared,  with  all 
civility  and  paternal  affection.)  My  defection  has  since 
become  a  common  topic  of  conversation  both  in  city  and 
country.  His  lordship  having  mentioned  my  letter,  but 
being  too  tender  to  expose  it,  I  showed  the  copy  to  several 
of  my  brethren.  It  was  greatly  censured  by  some,  others 
did  not  think  it  prndent  to  speak  tlieir  opinion. 

I  received  daily  requests  from  distant  friends  for  copies 
of  those  letters,  and  assurances  from  them  all  that  the  pub- 
lishing them  was  absolutely  necessaiy  to  the  vindication  of 
my  character. 

That  to  the  vicar-general,  in  the  opinion  of  a  great  many, 
contains  a  more  critical  apology  for  my  brethren  the  clei^ 
than  for  my  clients  the  Methodists.  That  the  latter  should 
need  an  advocate,  in  a  Christian,  Protestant  countiy,  seems 
to  mc  quite  out  of  character.  I  believe  I  have  heard  all 
that  can  be  said,  with  the  least  propriety,  against  them, 
and  still  think  they  ought  not  to  be  disconraged.  How 
those  poor,  simple,  honest  Christians,  have  rendered  them- 
selves so  formidable,  is  what  I  cannot  account  for.  I  must 
declare  that  my  church,  at  least  its  commnnicn  table,  owes 
almost  nine  in  ten  of  its  company  to  their  labors ;  and  I 
can  affirm  the  same  of  one  or  two  neighboring  parishes. 
"Were  it  not  for  them,  wc  should  meet  as  few  of  tlie  meaner 
sort  there  as  of  gentlemen  of  rank  and  fortune ;  and  I  take 


48  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


upon  me  to  say,  if  we,  with  equal  skill  and  care,  water, 
dress,  and  prune  the  plants  which  those  poor  people  have 
raised  to  our  hands,  God  will  give  the  increase;  and  give 
me  leave  to  add,  that  learned  and  zealous  as  even  Mr. 
Wesley  is,  and  all  my  parishioners  think  him,  there  is  not 
one  conscience  among  them  more  in  his  power  than  in 
mine. 

Letter  l.—To  the  Right  Rev.  tlie  Lord  Bishop  o/Meath. 

Mt  Lord, — I  think  it  my  duty  to  heg  your  lordship's 
advice  in  relation  to  my  behavior  to  the  people  called 
Methodists,  who  are  now  greatly  increasing  in  and  about 
my  parish.  Upon  their  first  appearance,  as  they  were 
everywhere  spoken  against,  I  was  far  from  giving  them 
encouragement  till  I  had  very  carefully  inquired  into  their 
tenets,  their  lives,  and  their  conversation.  I  found  them 
very  strongly  attached  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Established 
Church ;  that  they  professed  no  singularities,  except  in  a 
zeal  for  faith,  purity,  and  devotion,  that  rises  to  enthusiasm ; 
and  all  this  accompanied  with  a  scrupulous  exactness  in 
their  moral  conduct.  The  more  I  conversed  witli  them, 
the  more  they  insinuated  themselves  into  my  esteem.  I 
was  very  cautious  in  my  endea^•ors  to  rectify  their  frequent 
mistakes  of  texts  of  Scripture,  and  laying  before  them,  in 
the  most  gentle  and  obliging  manner,  the  rational  sense 
of  them  as  preferable  to  the  mystical,  of  which  tliey  are 
too  fond. 

I  perceived  my  church  to  fill,  and  chose  subjects  which 
might  be  most  edifying  to  tliem ;  and  I  so  far  found  the 
good  effects,  that  last  Christmas  day  I  had  at  the  sacrament 
above  fifty  whose  faces  I  had  scarce  seen  at  the  church  be- 
fore ;  and  upon  inquiry  into  their  characters,  found  them 
mostly  to  have  been  persons  of  very  profligate  lives. 

About  a  fortnight  ago  one  of  them  told  me,  it  was  a 
great  trouble  to  their  society  that  they  had  not  more  fre- 


STEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  49 


qnent  opportunities  of  receiving  the  communion.  I  de- 
sired him  to  let  his  brethren  know  that  I  was  always  at 
their  service,  and  at  any  time,  upon  proper  notice,  I  should 
administer  it  occasionally,  eitlicr  at  my  own  church  or 
Drumcrce,  at  their  request,  which  was  done  accordingly 
yesterday  at  Drumcrce. 

I  have  ahva3's  kept  what  are  called  the  best  company, 
but  none  that  ever  gave  me  such  solid  pleasure  before. 
Some  had  come  that  morning,  as  I  was  informed,  very 
near  ten  miles  on  foot,  though  the  weather  was  very  severe, 
and  had  prevented  several.  I  had  seventy  communicants ; 
true  piety  and  charity  sat  smiling  on  their  face  ;  and  I  must 
say,  I  never  saw  divine  service  heard  with  so  much  reve- 
rence and  attention.  I  was  told  there  were  but  three  in 
tlie  whole  congregation  tliat  did  not  profess  tliemselves  of 
that  society,  and  those  not  of  the  first  rank  of  them.  They 
hold  their  assemblies  in  the  afternoon,  men  and  women  in 
separate  houses,  wjiere  they  instruct  the  ignorant,  sing 
psalms,  and  pray. 

Arc  these,  my  lord,  subjects  to  set  a  Popish  mob  upon, 
to  be  railed  at  by  fools,  and,  too  often,  from  the  pulpit? 
There  is  scarce  a  lay  gentleman  round  me  that  has  not 
taken  them  under  his  protection.  They  were  speaking  of 
building  a  convenient  house  for  holding  their  Sunday 
evening  assemblies ;  two  gentlemen  of  fortune  present, 
told  them  they  would  subscribe  five  guineas  each.  A 
servant  from  tliem  is  thought  a  treasure,  and  greatly  en- 
couraged. 

Sunday  patrons  and  foot-ball  assemblies  are  quite  fre- 
quent. The  champions  at  those  sports  are  now  better  em- 
ployed ;  and  tlie  very  Papists  arc  ashamed  of  it.  I  should 
have  told  your  lordship  I  had  yesterday  among  my  com- 
municants six  Papists ;  they  have  a  seventh,  but  they  have 
not  yet  made  their  recantation.  I  hope  your  lordship  will 
have  the  pleasure  of  sending  me  your  commands  to  re- 
ceive them  altogether  very  soon.    These,  I  dare  vouch  for 


50  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


them,  are  no  hypocrites.  It  was  not  a  little  affecting  to 
see  the  poor  creatures  open  their  mouths,  for  the  bread  to 
be  put  into  them,  as  they  had  been  used. 

Upon  the  whole,  my  lord,  in  my  opinion,  the  clergy 
should  treat  them  with  all  gentleness  and  indulgence.  If 
we  can  but  reclaim  them  from  their  enthusiasm,  and  pre- 
vail on  the  more  rational  membci-s  of  tlieir  society,  for  such 
they  have  among  them,  to  lead  them  into  a  more  intelli- 
gible manner  of  expressing  themselves  in  their  particular 
assemblies,  they  may  become  such  omaments  to  Chris- 
tianity as  may  give  us  a  little  sketch  of  the  apostolic  age ; 
but  this,  if  possible  to  be  effected,  must  be  done  by  the  most 
artful  and  tender  address ;  and  I  have  reason  to  think  it 
not  impracticable.  In  the  mean  time,  disobliging  methods 
should  not  by  any  means  be  used.  That  they  are  casting 
out  devils  in  Christ's  name,  is  undeniable;  and  we  have 
not  even  the  weak  pretence  of  the  infant  apostles  for  the 
forbidding  them,  since  it  cannot  be  said  they  follow  not 
with  us.  Besides,  if  they  be  irritated,  it  is  to  be  feared 
they  may  entirely  desert  the  church,  and  make  its  de- 
plorable breaches  wider. 

April  27,  1751. 

Letter  II.— To  the  Kci:  Dr.  A—m,  Lyn—n,  Vicar- General 
o/Meath. 

Eev.  Sir, — Wlien  I  sat  down  to  write  my  letter  to  our 
bi — p,  I  had  just  been  reading  the  Candid  Disquisitions. 
I  thought  it  gave  very  good  authorities  for  the  right  of  a 
presbyter,  not  only  for  asking  his  bishop's  advice,  but  for 
offering  his  own. 

When  I  waited  on  his  lordship,  according  to  his  com- 
mands, I  found  my  letter  had  been  greatly  mistaken.  I 
omitted  saying,  I  did  not  put  the  bread  into  the  mouths  of 
my  Pojjish  communicants,  who  opened  them  to  receive  it; 
not  imagining  I  could  ever  be  thought  so  ignorant  of  my 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  51 


duty,  as  to  have  put  it  in.  I  am  afraid  I  was  misunder- 
stood in  every  paragraph  ;  but  upon  a  review  of  my  letter, 
from  a  copy  I  had  taken,  I  cannot  see  what  foundation  I 
have  there  Md  for  so  many  of  my  brethren  being  so  greatly 
offended,  nor  did  I  suspect  that  any  man  of  candor  could 
have  given  a  diflcrent  character  of  them.  They  may  be 
the  reverse,  in  other  parts  of  so  large  a  diocese  ;  and  it  is 
impossible  the  bishop  could  see  them  with  any  other  eyes 
than  those  of  his  clergy.  But  I  must  insist  upon  it,  my 
parishioners  and  neighbors  of  that  society  are  not  the 
Methodists  represented  to  his  lordship.  I  have  made  my- 
self well  acquainted  with  them,  have  talked  with  several  of 
their  leaders,  heard  their  public  lectures  and  exhortations, 
and  not  only  heard,  but  seen  and  know  the  happy  effects 
of  them. 

I  dare  not  suspect  those  of  my  brethren  who  liave  repre- 
sented them  in  a  more  disadvantageous  light,  to  have  been 
more  hasty  and  rash,  in  their  judgments  concerning  them, 
than  myself ;  and  that  there  are  but  two  or  three  very 
young  gentlemen  among  us  who  have  not  sufBciently  con- 
sidered the  wise  man's  axiom  :  "  He  that  giveth  judgment 
in  a  matter  before  he  hath  inquired  into  it,  and  understand- 
eth  it,  it  is  folly  and  shame  unto  him ;"  and  are  included  in 
too  harsh  an  expression  of  mine,  in  my  letter  to  the  bishop. 

The  only  argument,  my  lord,  made  use  of  against  them 
to  me,  that  I  remember,  was  founded  upon  a  very  strict 
sense  of  the  letter  of  the  canonical  law,  which  was,  that 
they  had  arrogated  to  preach  without  any  Icgid  designation 
to  that  office,  being  neither  bishops,  priests,  nor  deacons : 
such  are  indeed  very  wisely  excluded  from  our  pulpits ; 
but  I  know  no  law  of  God  or  Protestants,  tliat  forbids 
Christians,  even  of  tlio  laity,  "  to  assemble  themselves  to- 
gether," at  hours  not  appointed  for  tlic  service  of  God  or 
man,  "  to  e.vliort  one  another,  to  confess  their  sins  one  to 
another,  and  pray  one  for  anotlier,  to  read  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, and  when  merry  to  sing  psalms.    In  psalms,  and 


62 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


hymns,  and  spiritual  songs,  singing  and  making  melody 
in  your  hearts  to  the  Lord." 

I  know  this  to  be  their  constant  practice.  Did  they,  like 
the  Puritans  of  tlie  foiTner  age,  to  which  his  lordship  com- 
pared them,  seduce  beiievers  from  tlie  Established  Church, 
we  sliould  have  reason  to  be  alarmed  ;  but  the  direct  con- 
ti'ary  is  manifest,  to  the  great  comfort  of  many  whom  I 
know  to  be  very  good  Christians.  I  will  answer  for  them : 
they  shall  subscribe  as  many  creeds,  councils,  articles,  and 
homilies,  as  the  most  orthodox  among  us.  I  don't  men- 
tion this  as  their  supreme  excellency  :  their  paying  their 
tithes,  as  well  as  tlicir  other  debts,  conscientiously,  gives 
them  a  stronger  title  to  my  esteem  

My  lord  blamed  me  for  mixing  sometimes  among  them; 
but  really  I  thought  myself  as  much  in  tlic  way  of  my  duty, 
as  some  tender  mothers  whom  I  have  kno^vn,  when  stran- 
gers had  got  into  the  nursery,  to  steal  in,  lest  they  should 
have  brought  their  pockets  full  of  trash,  and  poison  the 
children  out  of  stai-k  love  and  kindness. 

My  lord,  sir,  cannot  expect  me  to  pay  so  implicit  a 
deference  to  the  judgment  of  the  reverend  gentlemen  he 
named,  as  opposite  to  mine,  so  as  to  give  those  people  the 
least  discouragement,  witliout  some  better  argument  than 
the  weight  of  their  number  and  authority.  I  believe  I 
can  count  double  the  years  of  all  the  disobliged  gentlemen 
except  one,  wliom  his  lordship  mentioned  as  a  man  of 
learning.  I  liavc  known  him  a  curate  above  twenty  years, 
and  of  a  very  good  cliaracter.  Tliey  may  be  blessed  with 
more  natural  sense  and  penetration ;  but  they  have  not 
read  more  books,  or  better,  than  I  Iiave  done,  thought  more 
intensely,  or  conversed  with  more  wise  and  learned  men 
on  the  subject  of  religion  ;  not  one  of  their  souls  is  possess- 
ed with  a  more  ardent  love  of  truth,  or  more  devoted  to 
the  interest  of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  churcli.  They  have 
not  had  more  opportunities  of  conversing  witli  the  people 
nf  tliat  society,  of  my  parish  and  neighborhood,  (I  speak 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  53 


of  no  others,)  and  of  informing  themselves  in  their  tenets 
and  conduct. 

I  have  talked  to  one  or  two  of  my  offended  brothers  on 
this  subject.  Their  prejudices  ran  high ;  but  they  knew 
notliing  of  the  people  in  question,  as  they  told  me,  but  by 
hearsay,  yet  were  furnished  vnth  stories  of  their  lewdness 
and  vice,  such  as  the  Papists  teU  of  Luther's  considting 
with  the  devil.  Throw  a  great  deal  of  dirt,  and  some  of  it 
may  stick.  Keason  only  can  change  my  opinion  of  them ; 
which  at  present  runs  so  high,  tliat  I  think  persecuting  and 
mobbing  them,  flying  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ;  and 
that  it  would  be  better  for  me  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea, 
and  a  millstone  about  my  neck,  than  "  to  offend  one  of 
these  little  ones  that  believe  in  him."  The  great  Gerson's 
question  must  be  mine  :  "  To  what  end  did  God  give  me  a 
conscience  of  my  own,  if  another  man's  must  be  my  rule  of 
living  and  dying  V  And  I  shall  always  think  with  Mr.  Fos- 
ter, an  author  I  have  heard  my  lord  commend  more  than 
once, "  that  the  errors  we  fall  into,  after  proper  care  to  avoid 
them  and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  will  not  be 
of  any  great  consequence  in  themselves,  or  prejudicial  to 
our  happiness ;  so  that  it  is  better  to  eiT,  with  an  honest, 
unbiased,  inquisitive  mind,  (for  this  is  often  the  effect  of 
human  infirmity,  where  there  is  the  best  temper,  and  a 
true  rectitude  of  will  and  affections,)  than  to  be  in  the  right 
from  custom,  and  an  implicit  reverence  for  tradition  and 
authority."  So  that,  if  I  am  conscious  of  having  perfonn- 
ed  those  requisites  for  the  rendering  eiTor  innocent,  I  shall 
make  a  compliment  to  no  man  of  my  own  sense,  reason, 
and  conscience,  in  a  matter  of  such  importance  as  the  sal- 
vation of  so  many  thousand  souls  as  I  have  cause  to 
believe  are  interested  in  the  debate,  till  convinced  that  I 
am  mistaken  by  stronger  arguments  than  my  own  study 
and  experience  can  suggest.  But  I  promise  all  my  offended 
brethren,  that  if  any  one  of  them,  from  his  superior  fund 
of  learning  and  natural  abilities,  'vrill  be  so  kind  as  to  show 


54  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  ODSELET, 


me  the  falsehood  or  uncharitableness  of  any  of  the  facts  I 
have  allcdged,  or  conclusions  dra^vn  from  them,  I  shall 
glory  as  much  in  confessing  my  fault,  as  in  any  conquest 
I  could  gain  over  them.  And  he  may  not  only  recover  me 
from  error,  but  vindicate  himself  from  the  imputation  of 
having  imposed  upon  his  bishop  by  misrepresenting  to 
liim  some  of  the  best  Christians  in  his  diocese.  And  my 
reason  for  thinking  them  such  is  drawn  from  the  infallible 
rule  of  the  most  just  of  critics,  their  friiiis.  Now,  if  I  am 
commissioned,  as  well  as  the  Baptist,  to  judge  of  causes  by 
effects,  and  by  the  things  I  see  and  hear, — I  may,  without 
much  straining  of  metaphors,  say, "  The  blind  see,  the  deaf 
hear,  lepers  are  cleansed,"  &c. ;  since,  by  their  successful 
address,  so  many  of  them  have  been  transfonned  from 
darkness  to  light,  fi-om  the  power  of  Satan  to  God,  from 
the  worst  of  men  to  tlie  best  of  Clu-istians.  And  if  the 
diligent  dischai^e  of  all  the  public  and  private  duties  of 
life;  constant  attendance  on  the  established  worship;  if 
never  omitting  an  opportunity  of  receiving  the  holy  com- 
munion ;  if  those  mouths  that  were  remarkable  for  oaths 
and  blasphemies  are  now  tilled  with  the  praises  of  God  ;  if 
the  sabbaths,  long  devoted  to  rioting  and  drunkenness,  are 
now  wholly  employed  in  the  service  of  their  Maker  ;  if,  to 
my  knowledge,  card  tables  arc  on  that  day,  by  their  ex- 
ample, banished,  even  from  some  gentlemen's  houses ;  if 
their  light  so  shines  before  men  as  to  be  manifest  as  that 
of  the  sun  in  the  firmament — shall  we  hesitate  to  place 
them  in  the  rank  of  the  best  of  Christians  ?  And  what  I 
have  here  asserted  is  not  from  hearsay,  but  from  my  own 
personal  knowledge. 

We  of  the  clergy,  sir,  are  undeservedly  reproached  be- 
cause our  public  sermons  and  private  exhortations  have  not 
produced  those  happy  effects  on  the  weaker  part  of  man- 
kind We  can  fall  under  such  censures  only  from  those 
who  are  very  little  acquainted  with  human  nature.  Our 
discourses  are  addressed  to  the  reason  of  the  people ;  and 


MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELET.  55 


I  believe  such  as  hear  us,  and  are  susceptible  of  the  force  of 
an  argument,  cannot  pretend  ignorance  of  any  one  article 
of  their  duty.  Bat  the  very  low  and  ignorant  are  only  to 
be  gained  by  so  strong  and  violent  an  assault  upon  theii-  pas- 
sions, that  no  small  degree  of  enthusiasm  is  able  to  carry  to 
eflFect.  Wien  this  is  successfully  communicated,  and  weak 
minds  are  very  susceptible  of  the  impression,  it  always  ex- 
alts its  object  to  its  utmost  height,  and  requires  him  to  cool 
its  ardor. 

This  accounts  not  only  for  the  little  success  our  rational 
labors  have  had,  or  are  likely  to  have,  on  such  subjects ;  but 
also  for  the  ecstatic  pitch  df  devotion  so  often  mentioned  to 
their  prejudice,  when  no  other  reproach  can  lie.  If  this  be 
a  crime,  indeed  they  are  very  guilty,  particularly  their  new- 
converted  Papists,  and  may  be  very  justly  called  enthusiasts. 

But  enthusiasm  is  a  tenn  so  little  understood  by  the  vul- 
gar, that  it  passes  with  them  for  a  very  opprobrious  imputa- 
tion. I  think  it  may  be  defined,  an  imagination  heated  and 
swelled  so  much  above  its  natural  temper,  that  the  bounds 
of  reason  are  too  narrow  to  confine  it ;  and  it  is  glorious  or 
infamous  according  to  its  object.  Zeal  is  its  tnin  sister ; 
and  so  like,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  distinguish  between  them. 
What  character  so  detestable  as  the  bigoted  zealot  1  who 
more  unhappy  to  himself,  or  dangerous  to  his  neighbor  who 
happens  to  differ  from  him,  in  a  point  never  so  trivial,  when 
religion  is  in  the  least  concerned  ?  But  zeal  according  to 
knowledge  can  never  rise  too  high,  if '"  it  is  good  to  be  always 
zealously  affected  in  a  good  thing." 

Lord  Shaftesbury,  whose  knowledge  of  human  nature,  at 
lea-st,  is  undisputed,  is  of  opinion  that  nothing  truly  great, 
of  any  kind,  was  ever  executed  without  some  degree  of  en- 
thusiasm. 

Impostors  have  indeed  often  feigned  most  violent  agita- 
tions, and  succeeded  so  far  as  to  communicate  them  like  a 
panic  ;  and  this  for  no  other  end  than  to  cheat  their  hearers 
into  a  belief,  that  they  were  favored  by  God  vnth  such  mi- 


56         MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


raculous  effusions  of  knowledge  and  grace  as  enabled  thorn 
to  utter  prophecies,  ■which  these  poor  people  no  way  pre- 
tend to,  but  depend  wholly  on  the  ordinary  co-operation  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  with  their  own,  which,  they  are  persuaded, 
Jesus  Christ  has  promised  them  in  his  gospel,  upon  the 
condition  of  tnie  faith  and  sincere  repentance.  Their  terri- 
ble agitations  arise  only  from  conviction  of  their  sins ;  and 
their  joyous  emotions,  which  in  sometime  succeed  them, 
from  the  apprehension  of"  the  Sj^rit  of  God  bearing  witness 
with  their  spirits,  that  they  are  the  sons  of  God  r  if  all  tliis  be 
nonsense,  it  is  not  their  own.  St.  John  seems  to  have  ad- 
dressed his  First  Epistle,  chiefly  to  such  little  children,  that 
they  might  (not  only  suppose  or  hope,  but)  know  that  they 
have  eternal  life ;  and  I  hope  that  Protestants  do  not  deny 
the  doctrine  of  assurance  that  we  are  in  a  state  of  salvation, 
attainable  in  this  life. 

My  lord,  sir,  refen-ed  me  to  you  for  further  information 
and  advice,  in  relation  to  the  great  oifease  I  had  given  to 
my  brethren,  by  my  letter  to  his  lordship ;  and  I  should 
have  waited  on  you,  but  I  hope  my  years  may  plead  my 
excuse,  while  the  weather  and  the  roads  are  so  bad.  I  left 
Ardbraccan  [the  palace  of  the  bishops  of  Meath]  too  late, 
rode  hours  in  the  dark,  in  great  danger  from  the  rugged 
roads  and  extreme  cold. 

I  believe,  sh-,  it  is  expected  I  should  vindicate  or  retract 
what  I  have  written.  In  choosing  the  latter,  I  should  ex- 
pose myself  to  the  contempt,  not  only  of  every  Protestant  in 
my  parish,  male  and  female,  but  of  all  my  neighbors  round 
me,  one  gentleman  only  excepted  whom  his  lordship  men- 
tioned. They  are  all  sensible  I  have  studied  those  people, 
and  know  them  as  well  as  themselves. 

I  njay  be  philosopher  enough  to  despise  the  obloquies  of 
•men,  so  long  as  my  heart  does  not  reproach  me,  but  dare 
not  boast  myself  so  heroic  a  Christian  as  not  to  fear  those 
who  can  kill  the  body.  When  I  returned  from  Ai  dbraccan 
I  |;>uad  a  letter  ^om  my  S09  in  Dublin,  acquainting  me 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  57 


there  was  a  report  about  town  that  I  was  to  be  suspended  for 
a  letter  I  had  written  to  my  bishop  concerning  the  Swaddlers.* 
I  am  in  no  great  pain  for  my  reputation  on  that  score,  it 
can  be  so  well  supported ;  but  I  may  dread  a  blow  which 
neither  reason  nor  virtue  can  pany. 

Alexander  Erwiii,  a  young  man,  my  parishioner,  remarka- 
ble for  piety  and  virtue,  passing  some  days  ago  tlu'ough 
Athboy,  a  town  full  of  Papists,  one  of  them  pointing  at  him, 
and  crying  out  a  Swaddler:  he  was  assaulted  by  numbers, 
knocked  down  and  beaten  in  a  most  cruel  manner,  some  of 
the  bones  of  his  hand  dislocated,  if  not  broken,  and  it  is  to 
be  fcai-cd,  ho  will  never  reeover  the  use  of  it.  This,  sir,  or 
worse  may,  nay,  shall  be  my  fate,  if  nothing  but  joining  cry 
against  tliese  poor  innocents  can  prevent  it. 

You,  sir,  doubtless  have  received  very  difl'erent  accounts 
of  these  people  as  well  as  the  bishop.  Could  you  procure 
me  a  sight  of  one  of  their  letters,  (for  no  one  of  our  brethren, 
I  am  persuaded,  would  either  wite  or  speak  injuriously  to 
the  character  of  any,  and  desii-e  it  should  be  kept  a  secret,) 
or  lay  yoiu-  commands  on  some  one  of  them,  to  give  a  ra- 
tional and  Chi-istian  answer  to  mine,  it  might  recover  me 
from  my  mistake.  Make  this  as  public  as  you  please.  I 
hope  it  will  be  taken  for  an  apologv-  for  what  I  wrote  to  his 
lordship.  It  may  be  the  only  means  to  obviate  the  bad  con- 
sequences with  wliich  I  seem  to  be  threatened. 

I  am,  &c. 

Thus  have  we  seen  the  commencement  and  progress 
of  this  great  work  in  some  parts  of  Ireland,  during  the 
early  years  of  its  existence,  and  have  exhibited  ample 

*  This  is  a  nickname  which  was  given  to  the  early  Methodists  in 
some  parts  of  Ireland.  It  originated  from  a  drunken  fellow  looking 
into  a  chapel  when  the  preacher  was  reading  in  Luke's  narrative  of 
the  birth  of  Christ  the  words  '•  wrapped  him  in  swaddling  clothes,"  Ac. 
The  fellow's  ear  caught  the  unusual  word,  and  he  immediately  cried 
out,  "  I  know  what  these  people  are  ;  Ihey  are  Swaddlers."— Ax.  Ed. 


58         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


and  disinterested  testimony  in  its  favor ;  and  were  it 
consistent  with  my  design,  I  would  gladly  show  you  its 
spread  and  influence  !n  other  parts  of  the  kingdom ; 
but  what  has  been  stated,  pretty  fairly  shows  its  general 
character  and  history,  and,  perhaps,  may  serve  to  pre- 
pare you  for  those  details  which  are  connected  with  the 
ministry  of  that  singular  Irish  evangehst — Gideon  Ouse- 
ley. 

I  am  yours  very  truly. 


LETTER  IV. 

Irish  niissioii— Rev.  Gideon  Ouseley—Birlh— Early  indications  of  greatnci*— EJucalioii 
— Serious  impressions  respecting  God  Riid  eLcrnilj — Methodist  preachers — Holy  Scrip- 
tures—young's Night  Thoughta,  and  Centaur  not  Fabulous— Deeply  cooviiiccJ  of 
his  sin  and  danger — Distressing  apprehensions  of  eternal  misery — Submits  to  God — 
—Receives  the  forgiveness  of  sins— Exceedingly  happy— Rev.  John  Woodrow— Hii 
grace  the  archbishup  of  Tuara— Anecdotes— Liberality  toward  Methodism— Courtesy 
to  Methodist  missionaries— Mr.  Ouseley  atLiins  a  more  matured  work  of  grace— First 
Ifxbors  as  a  local  preacher  among  tho  Irish — Scene  at  a  funeral — Anecdote  of  a  Croagh- 
Palrick  pilgi-im— Infidel  gentleman- Mr.  Ousetey  travels  and  labors  exleusivcly  in 
Uie  province  of  Connaughl,  nearly  seven  years  prior  to  his  appointment  by  Conference 
— Proceeds  as  far  as  Leinster — Fruits  accompanying  his  early  ministry — Pitted  by 
nature,  education,  and  grace,  for  the  arduous  oSice  of  an  Irish  missioDary. 

My  Dear  Friend, — From  the  early  times  to  which 
the  above  records  refer  until  the  close  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  great  prospciity  attended  the  gcucnd  publi- 
cation of  the  word  of  the  Lord  by  the  Methodist 
preachers ;  and,  as  will  ajipear,  there  were  many  in- 
stances of  the  dii'ect,  though  occasional,  ministration 
of  the  word  among  the  native  Irish  in  their  own  tongue, 
— as  in  Ijlie  case  of  the  sainted  Thomas  Walsh,  and 
others,  who  were  "  lights  in  a  dai-k  place,  holding  forth 
the  word  of  life."  Until  the  year  1799,  however,  no 
stated,  comprehensive,  and  permanent  system  of  agency 
had  been  brought  into  the  Irish  field.    Then,  immedi- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


59 


ately  after  the  Irish  rebellion,  the  mission  to  the  native 
Irish  was  appointed  by  the  Methodist  Conference. 
And,  as  the  period  chosen  by  that  body  indicated  great 
wisdom,  so  there  was  a  gracious  Providence  observable 
in  the  case  of  those  leading  instruments  which  had 
been  prepared,  and  were  then  supplied,  by  the  great 
Head  of  the  church,  for  the  Irish  work. 

Among  those  commissioned  at  that  time  to  publish 
the  gospel  of  peace  through  our  distracted  country,  the 
greatest  and  most  distinguished  was  Mr.  Gideon  Ouse- 
ley,  then,  for  the  first  thne,  appearing  on  the  Minutes 
of  Conference,  in  the  hst  of  Methodist  preachers; 
though  not  until  then  without  exercising  his  talents  for 
the  glory  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  his  perishing 
countrymen. 

Mr.  Gideon  Ouseley  was  descended  from  an  ancient 
family  of  great  respectabihty.  He  was  the  eldest  son 
of  John  Ouseley,  Esq.,  of  Dunmorc,  in  the  county  of 
Galway,  and  was  born  in  that  town,  in  the  year  1762. 
Details  connected  with  the  early  years  of  Mr.  Ouseley, 
some  future  biographer  may  possibly  supply  ;  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  incidents  of  great  interest  might 
be  traced  in  the  juvenile  salhes  of  that  remarkable 
man.  I  shall  not  call  conjecture  to  my  aid,  where 
facts  cannot  be  furnished ;  but  from  such  things  as 
came  to  my  knowledge  with  regard  to  his  early  charac- 
ter, sure  I  am  that  in  him  were  perceptible  the  work- 
ings of  an  ardent  and  uncommon  mind.  He  would 
even  then  take  the  lead  in  the  gambols  on  the  lawn  or 
on  the  green  ;  and,  if  anything  daring  or  enterprising 
were  to  be  attempted,  young  Ouseley  would  be 

"  The  first  in  danger,  as  the  first  in  fame." 
There  was  nothing  common-place  in  his  mental  consti- 


60 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


tution :  bold,  generous,  intrepid  from  first  to  last,  with 
a  soul  breathing  the  love  of  liberty,  free  as  the  air  in- 
haled from  his  native  mountains,  he  would  be  seen, 
even  then,  rushing  forward  to  defend  the  weak,  to 
crush  the  oppressor,  and  to  vindicate  the  rights  of  his 
youthful  contemporaries. 

It  does  not  appear  that  Mr.  Ouseley,  being  the  elder 
son,  was  intended  by  liis  father  for  a  profession.  His 
brother,  ten  years  younger,  was  destined  for  the  army ; 
when  young,  obtained  a  commission;  was  afterward 
distinguished  as  I*Iajor  General  Sir  Ralph  Ouseley, 
and,  as  a  military  man,  ran  a  brilliant  and  illustrious 
career. 

Ml'.  Ouseley,  however,  received  both  a  classical  and 
mathematical  education.  He  never,  even  when  young, 
did  anything  by  halves ;  and  was  then,  as  may  be  sup- 
posed, a  hard-working  scholai*.  He  learned  to  love 
"  the  sweet-voiced  romances  of  A'irgil,  the  cold  and  ex- 
quisite lyrics  of  Horace,  and  the  living  deeds  and  men 
of  Homer ;"  he  carried  much  of  them  in  his  memory 
throughout  his  Ufe,  and  had  them  often  happily  at  com- 
mand, to  illustrate  his  arguments  in  private  conversa- 
tion and  debate,  as  well  as  in  the  important  topics  of 
his  public  ministry. 

From  the  earliest  period  of  life,  Mr.  Ouseley  was 
deeply  affected  with  thoughts  relative  to  God  and 
eternity ;  indeed,  he  never  recollected  the  time  when 
they  did  not,  at  least  occasionally,  produce  serious  feel- 
ing in  his  heart ;  but  he  regarded  God  rather  as  a 
stern  judge  than  as  the  Father  of  mercies,  and  looked 
forward  into  the  future  world  with  emotions  of  horror. 
While  these  views  imbittcred  his  earthly  comforts,  no 
ray  of  gospel  hope  or  light  was  shed  on  his  path  |  no 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTTSELET.  61 


drop  of  consolation  yet  distilled  into  his  soul.  He  de- 
rived no  pleasure  from  sources  of  worldly  enjo}Tnent. 
He  was  too  thoughtful  in  the  midst  of  gayety  to  fiincy 
that  such  fading  trifles  as  surrounded  him  were  real ; 
and  too  honest,  at  all  times,  to  conceal  his  convictions ; 
but,  having  no  one  to  direct  his  inquiries  to  Him  who 
had  graciously  said,  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  * 
and  are  heavy  laden,"  he  was  brought  to  the  utmost 
degree  of  perplexity,  and  his  reasonings  well-nigh  re- 
sulted in  skepticism  and  despair.  He  would  often  cry 
out,  in  the  disappointment  of  his  soiU,  "  Lord,  help  me  ! 
What  shall  I  do '?  ^Vho  will  teach  me  ?  Priest  and 
minister  no  better  than  myself — as  great  fools  as  I  am 
— we  are  all  a  pack  of  fools  together !"  The  language 
of  Beattie's  Hermit  might  then  have  been  adopted  by 
him: — 

"  O  pity,  jreat  Father  of  li^ht,"  then  I  cried, 
"  Thy  creature  who  fain  would  not  wander  from  thee  I 

Lo,  humbled  in  dust,  I  relinquish  my  pride  ; 
From  doubt  and  from  darkness  thou  only  canst  free." 

In  the  year  1 789,  the  feet  of  the  Methodist  preachers 
were  providentially  directed  to  Dunmore.  He  first 
heard  the  gospel  from  those  godly  and  simple-hearted 
men,  and  by  their  occasional  ministrations,  as  well  as 
by  the  reading  of  the  sacred  Scriptin-es,  he  became 
more  deeply  impressed  ivith  divine  and  eternal  things. 
Dr.  Young's  Night  Thoughts  also,  (especially  The 
Infidel  Reclaimed,)  and  his  Centaur  not  Fabulous, 
were  works  which  he  liked  to  read,  and  were  pecu- 
liarly suited  to  his  taste.  The  sentiments  of  the  latter, 
as  to  the  folly  and  guilt  of  sensual  pleasure,  accorded 
with  the  then  views  of  his  own  mind ;  and  the  former 
tended  to  increase  those  serious  feelings  which  he 


62  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


had  entertained  on  the  subject  of  his  own  immor- 
tality. 

"  Immortal  1  ages  pass'd,  yet  nothing  gone ! 
Morn  without  eve  !  a  race  without  a  goal  1 
Unshorten'd  by  progression  infinite  1 
Futurity  for  ever  future  !" 

It  was  not  until  1791,  however,  that  liis  convictions 
assumed  a  decidedly  evangelical  character.  One  even- 
ing, about  this  time,  he  attended  preaching,  when,  after 
sermon,  the  preacher  invited  any  seriously  disposed 
persons  to  remain  for  the  meeting  of  the  society.  Mr. 
Ouseley  was  an  anxious  inquirer  after  the  right  way, 
and  he  was,  therefore,  desirous  to  remain ;  but  feared 
lest  there  might  possibly  be  some  secret  plan  with 
which  his  mind  could  not  concur.  "  I  '11  wait,"  said  he, 
"  until  I  see  what  they  are  about ;  but,  if  I  find  any 
juggling — any  Freemasons'  tricks — among  them,  I  '11 
have  nothing  to  do  with  them."  Thus  did  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley first  witness  and  join  in  class  meeting.  It  was  the 
very  thing  for  his  then  state  of  mind ;  became  pecu- 
liarly helpful  to  him;  and  was  regarded  by  him, 
throughout  his  after  life,  as  a  most  important  means  of 
grace.  Frequently  would  he  say,  when  inviting  seek- 
ers of  salvation  to  class  meeting, — "  You  would  like  to 
appear  blameless  before  the  great  Judge,  when  he 
shall  come  in  the  clouds :  this  is  a  little  judgment-day, 
dear,  once  a  week,  to  seek  a  preparation  for  the  final 
judgment  in  the  last  (jreat  day." 

His  inquiries  now  became  moi-e  earnest,  his  convic- 
tions of  personal  guilt  and  danger  greatly  increased, 
and,  early  in  May,  his  burden  became  intolerable. 
The  cause  of  his  misery  was  now  also  more  perfectly 
understood  by  him,  and  his  mind  became  more  immc- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  63 


diately  directed  to  the  good  which,  as  an  undone  and 
guilty  sinner,  he  required.  Before,  he  struggled 
against  his  own  corruptions,  under  vague  and  indistinct 
notions  of  the  mode  of  deliverance,  and  of  that  privi- 
lege of  the  Christian  believer — the  assurance  of  the 
divine  favor :  now  his  views  are  determinate ;  he  be- 
lieves that  "  God  was  in  Chi-ist,  reconciUng  the  world 
unto  himself,"  but  knows  that,  without  a  personal  in- 
terest in  Christ,  he  is  undone.  The  absence  of  this 
was  painfully  felt,  and  he  earnestly  sought  after  it. 
The  language  of  his  heart  was,  "  The  arrows  of  the 
Almighty  are  within  me,  the  poison  whereof  drinketh 
up  my  spirit."  He  cried  out,  "  O  that  I  knew  where 
I  might  find  him  !  that  I  might  come  even  to  his  seat ! 
I  would  order  my  cause  before  him,  and  fill  my  mouth 
with  arguments.  Behold,  I  go  forward,  but  he  is  not 
there  ;  and  backward,  but  I  cannot  perceive  him  :  on 
the  left  hand  where  he  doth  work,  but  I  cannot  behold 
him  :  he  hidcth  himself  on  the  right  hand,  that  I  cannot 
see  hini."  He  longed  with  vehement  desire  to  taste 
that  the  Lord  was  gracious :  he  had  reason  to  beUevc  that 
otliers  had  attained  this  enjoyment,  but,  as  is  common, 
he  thought  there  was  something  peculiar  in  his  case ; 
he  wanted  comfort,  and  he  wanted  powei' — pardon,  and 
a  new  lieart.  lie  would  cry,  "  O  God,  my  wicked 
nature  !  Fain  would  I  be  made  a  new  creature;  but, 
ah  !  I  can  no  more  do  this  for  myself,  than  I  can  touch 
the  stai-s,  or  create  a  world."  His  views  of  a  never-end- 
ing state  of  existence  were  as  awful  as  they  were  true : — 
"  I  shall  be  ruined  most  certainly !"  he  exclaimed,  with 
the  utmost  dismay.  "  I  got  such  a  sight " — he  would 
say,  in  adverting  to  his  feelings  at  that  period — "  I  got 
such  a  sight  of  hell,  and  of  going  into  it,  never,  never, 


64  MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OrSELET. 


to  be  released  through  all  eternity,  that  I  cried  from 
my  heart,  '  O  Lord,  I  will  submit !' "  His  deeply 
anxious  mind  refused  to  be  comforted,  until  he  obtained 
redemption  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  the  forgiveness  of 
his  sins.  He  soon  received  a  clear  and  well-attested 
evidence  of  the  divine  favor,  through  the  atoning 
blood,  and  was  made  indescribably  happy.  This  bliss- 
ful change  took  place  while  he  was  engaged  in  prayer 
on  the  morning  of  the  Lord's  day ;  and  often  did  I 
hear  him  gratefully  refer  to  "rtaC  Sioifkiij  morning" 
when  the  language  of  his  disburdened,  liberated  spirit, 
was, — 

"  Where  shall  my  wondering:  soul  begin ! 

How  shall  I  all  to  heaven  aspire? 
A  slave  redeemM  from  death  and  sin, 

A  brand  pluck'd  from  eternal  fire  ; 
How  shall  I  equal  triumphs  raise, 
Or  sing  my  great  Deliv'rer's  praise  ?" 

The  change  that  passed  on  ]VIr.  Ouseley  "  that 
Sunday  morning,"  was  as  glorious  as  his  previous  con- 
\'ictions  and  penitence  had  been  marked  and  distress- 
ing. He  always  remembered  "  the  days  of  the  right- 
hand  of  the  Most  High never,  till  his  Litest  breath, 
lost  the  precious  treasure  ;  and  thousands  of  times  ad- 
verted to  it  in  tones  of  holy  triumph  and  joy,  while 
tears  of  gratitude  to  his  great  Deliverer  streamed  down 
his  sainted  countenance.  The  descriptions  of  his  own 
experience,  and  of  the  ways  and  goodness  of  God 
toward  him,  were  often  made  signally  beneficial  to  my 
own  soul,  during  those  years  in  which  I  was  privileged 
to  be  his  "  companion  in  tribulation,  and  in  the  king- 
dom and  patience  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  the  remem- 
brance of  them  is  now  as  fresh  and  refreshing  to  my 
heart  as  "  rain  on  the  mown  grass." 


MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELET.  65 


Soon  did  the  intelligence  of  Mr.  Gideon  Ouseley's 
conTersion  spread  throiigli  town  and  country.  And, 
indeed,  the  delightful  change  was  too  great  and  too 
good  a  thing  to  be  kept  long  concealed  in  his  own 
bosom.  The  flame  of  love  that  burned  in  his  happy- 
heart,  broke  out  in  acts  of  zeal  and  devotion ;  and 
othei-s  were  invited  to  partake  of  the  gospel  blessings 
which  he  himself  enjoyed.  He  would  then,  among  his 
neighbors  and  friends — as  he  often  did  afterward  in  his 
pubUc  ministrations,  when  holding  out  the  invitations 
of  mercy  to  perishing  sinners — repeat,  with  cries  and 
tears,  another  portion  of  his  favorite  hymn  : — 

"  Come,  O  my  guilty  brethren,  come, 

Groaning  beneath  your  load  of  sin  ; 
His  bleeding  heart  shall  make  you  room  ! 

His  open  side  shall  take  you  in :  ^ 
He  calls  you  now,  invites  you  home  : 

Come,  O  my  guilty  brethren,  come  I 
"  For  you  the  purple  current  flow'd 

In  pardons  from  his  wounded  side  ; 
Languish'd  for  you  the  Son  of  God  ; 

For  you  the  Prince  of  glory  died : 
Believe,  and  all  your  sin' s  forgiven  ; 

Only  believe,  and  yours  is  heaven  I" 

I  often  heard  Mr.  Ouseley  make  grateftil  mention  of 
the  Rev.  John  Woodrow,  as  a  person  to  whom,  in  the 
early  stage  of  his  Christian  experience,  he  was  much 
indebted.  The  pubhc  ministry,  as  well  as  the  private 
counsel,  of  that  excellent  man,  proved  peculiarly  ad- 
vantageous to  him  at  that  period,  not  only  in  furnish- 
ing his  mind  with  information  on  religious  subjects,  but 
in  guiding  his  zeal,  which,  in  his  first  love,  was  too 
heated  and  impetuous. 

Some  things  relative  to  Mr.  Woodrow  were  com- 
municated to  me  by  persons  who  were  acquainted  with 
5 


66  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OXJSELET. 


him  in  those  times,  which,  with  their  results,  especially 
as  they  are  known  to  few,  may  not  be  deemed  out  of 
place  in  this  record.  One  of  the  places  on  liis  then 
circuit  was  Ballinasloe.  The  parish  church  was  un- 
dergoing some  repairs,  and  the  church  service  was  held 
in  the  Methodist  chapel.  The  late  (and  last)  arch- 
bishop of  Tuara,  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  Dr.  Trench, 
was  at  the  time  rector,  and  he  and  the  Methodist 
preacher  held  forth  alternately  the  word  of  Ufe  in  the 
same  place.  The  preacher  would  hear  the  rector  at 
noon,  and  he  in  turn  would  sometimes  hear  the  Me- 
thodist preacher  in  the  evening.  The  Hon.  and  Rev. 
gentleman  once  heard  Mr.  AVoodrow  preach  on  the 
new  birth,  and  was  afterward  heard  to  say,  '•  If  all  the 
Methodist  preachers  can  preach  like  that  good  man, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  whole  world  follow  them." 
He  also  heard  the  Rev.  WilUam  Smith,  and  expressed 
his  liigh  satisfaction.  Persons  of  intelligence  and 
piety,  on  whose  testimony  I  can  rely,  have  informed 
me  that  the  first  views  of  spiritual  religion  which  this 
distinguished  prelate  received,  were  under  the  ministry 
of  the  old  Methodist  preachers ;  and  I  am  happy,  from 
my  own  knowledge,  to  be  able  distinctly  to  state, 
that,  to  his  honor,  he  ceased  not  to  entertain  feelings  of 
respect  for  the  successors  of  these  pious  men,  nor 
failed  to  acknowledge  them  as  useful  n.inisters  of 
the  gospel.  When  Dr.  Trench  v.-as  bishop  of  Elphin, 
he  held  a  visitation  in  Castlerca.  A  novel  scene  took 
place  in  the  church,  which  afforded  occasion  of  chagrin 
to  some,  gratification  to  others,  and  sui-prise  to  all ;  but 
it  was  characteristic  of  the  Christian  liberality  of  that 
noble-minded  man. 


MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  67 


"  Mr.  Blundell,"  he  said,  addressing  the  clergjTuan, 
"  have  you  any  Methodists  in  your  parish  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  lord,"  replied  IVIr.  B. ;  "  but  Hipwell,  my 
clerk,  knows  more  about  them  than  I  do." 

Then  turning  to  the  clerk,  "  Are  you  a  Methodist?" 
he  inquired. 

'■  Yes,  my  lord,"  answered  Mr.  H.,  "  I  am." 

"  Have  you  a  large  society  ?"  he  added. 

Hipwell.  Not  very  large,  my  lord. 

Dr.  Trench.  Who  is  your  leader  ? 

Hipwell.  I  am  so  myself,  my  lord. 

Dr.  Trench.  Very  good.  Do  your  pi-eachers  come 
once  in  the  fortnight  ? 

Uipicell.  They  do,  my  lord. 

His  lordship  then  asked  what  preachers  were  on  the 
circuit,  with  other  questions,  which  showed  a  familiar 
acquaintance  with  the  economy  of  Methodism,  and 
with  an  interest  which  showed  how  cordially  he  ap- 
proved of  it. 

At  a  subsequent  period,  when  Dr.  Trench  waa 
archbishop  of  Tuam,  the  Wesleyan  missionaries  ia 
that  part  of  the  country  had  opportunities  of  witness- 
ing his  liberality.  By  his  recommendation  they  had 
access  to  some  of  the  leading  families  in  the  county, 
and  thereby  their  field  of  usefulness  was  considerably 
enlarged ;  while  his  gi-ace  thus  acknowledged  them  aa 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  afforded  gratifying  indica- 
tion that  he  possessed  a  soul  far  above  that  spirit  of 
exclusivencss  and  narrow-mindedness  which  is  so  com- 
mon in  the  Christian  world.  Well  had  it  been  for  the 
Established  Church,  for  the  Methodist  society,  and  for 
other  bodies  of  Protestant  Christians— and  well  had  it 


68         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


been  for  the  interests  of  our  common  Christianity — if 
such  a  spirit  had  been  cultivated  throughout  every 
order  of  tlie  clergy  in  the  land.  Such  instances  of 
liberality  are  as  refreshing  as  they  are  rare.  The 
early  attachment  of  that  great  man  to  the  Methodist 
ministry  was  never  forgotten;  and  of  the  kindness 
subsequently  shown  to  some  of  us,  we  cannot  cease  to 
cherish  a  grateful  remembrance. 

On  every  subject  Mr.  Ouseley  took  strong  and  de- 
cided views ;  and,  on  that  great  and  important  subject 
of  personal  religion,  this  characteristic  of  his  singular 
mind  was  pi-e-eminently  distinguished.  When  he  had 
become  saved  by  grace  from  the  guilt  and  power  of 
sin,  he  resolved  to  be  a  Christian  in  earnest.  He  was 
instructed  by  the  ministry  of  the  Methodist  preachers 
to  go  on  to  higher  attainments  in  the  life  divine ;  to 
"  press  toward  the  mark  for  the  prize  of  the  high  call- 
ing of  God  in  Christ  Jesus ;"  and  he  longed  to  love  the 
Lord  his  God  with  all  his  heart,  and  with  all  his  soul, 
and  with  all  his  mind.  He  knew  that  this  was  "  the 
first  and  great  commandment" — "to  love  God,"  as  he 
used  sometimes  to  express  it,  "  affectionately, 'passion- 
ately, rationally,  and  with  all  his  power."  The  pro- 
mise, he  saw,  was  equal  to  the  command ;  the  pro- 
visions of  mercy  commensurate  with  both :  and  then 
the  divine,  the  Almighty  agency,  employed  to  work  it 
in  believers — who  takes  of  the  things  of  God,  and 
shows  them  unto  us.  He  therefore  concluded  that  the 
privilege  of  a  matured  Christian  was  distinct  and  clear. 
"  O  God,"  he  would  say,  "  cleanse  me  from  all  filthiness 
of  flesh  and  spirit,  that  I  may  perfectly  love  thee  and 
worthily  magnify  thy  holy  name  I" 

No  man  was  more  unshackled  in  his  religious  views 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY,  69 


by  the  dogmas  of  a  party  than  Mr.  Ouseley.  He 
would,  to  use  his  own  words,  "  learn  from  a  child  or 
an  archbishop ;"  but  the  teaching,  if  he  would  receive 
it,  must  be  in  accordance  with  the  canon  of  revealed 
truth.  He  would,  indeed,  gladly  receive  direction 
from  the  messengers  of  the  gospel,  in  guiding  his  err- 
ing footsteps  into  the  way  of  peace,  or  directing  him 
to  higher  and  purer  joys ;  but  human  authority,  either 
as  to  bodies  or  individuals,  carried  no  weight  in  his 
mind,  unless  he  found  their  doctrines  in  the  Book. 
His  theology,  whether  doctrinal,  practical,  or  experi- 
mental, was  taken  from  the  inspired  volume. 

In  the  views  which  he  formed  of  the  great  privilege 
above  referred  to,  he  simply  thought  that,  if  God  had 
revealed  it,  there  was  no  room  for  doubting  the  possi- 
bility of  its  attainment — it  must  be  infallibly  sure  ;  as 
he  sometimes  said,  "  It  is  impossible  for  God  ta  tell  a 
lie,  or  to  work  a  self-contradiction ;"  he  therefore,  as  in 
the  case  of  justification  by  faith,  ardently  and  humbly 
invoked  his  gracious  Lord  for  this  higher  blessing  in 
like  manner.  He  believed  that  "  He  "  who  "  is  faith- 
ful and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,"  is  also  faithful  and 
just  "to  cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness."  St 
John  declares,  "  Herein  is  our  love  made  perfect,  .  .  . 
because  as  he  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world.  There  is  no 
fear  in  love ;  but  perfect  love  casteth  out  fear."  St. 
Paul  prays  for  the  Epheaians :  "  That  Christ  may  dwell 
in  your  hearts  by  faith;  that  ye,  being  rooted  and 
grounded  in  love,  may  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all 
saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height ;  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  passeth 
knowledge,  that  ye  might  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness 
of  Grod."   All  these  scriptures,  and  numerous  other 


70         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


"  exceeding  great  and  precious  promises,"  which  are 
given  us  that  "  we  might  be  partakers  of  the  divine 
nature,"  he  thought  portrayed  the  spiritual  privileges 
of  believers.  He  "  cried  mightily  to  God,"  to  use  his 
own  language ;  and  after  a  short,  but  severe  struggle, 
he  proved  that  "  the  blood  of  Jesus  Chiist  his  Son 
cleanseth  from  all  sin."  Then  could  he  join  in  the 
doxology  of  the  apostle,  "  Now  unto  him  that  is  able 
to  do  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or 
think,  according  to  the  power  that  worketh  in  us,  unto 
him  be  glory  in  the  church  by  Christ  Jesus,  through- 
out all  ages,  world  without  end."  Eph.  iii,  20.  He 
now  "rejoiced  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 
Whether  or  not  Mr.  Ouseley  sung  the  very  expressive 
hymn,  beginning,  "  How  happy  are  they,  who  their 
Saviour  obey,"  1  cannot  tell ;  but  it  was  at  that  time, 
and  for  many  years  afterward,  a  favorite  hymn  in 
Ireland. 

Mr.  Ouseley  was  now  supremely  happy,  or,  to  use 
his  own  words,  "  as  happy  as  the  day  is  long."  He 
found  "  the  pearl  of  great  price,"  and,  always  reasoning 
on  the  side  of  faith,  and  the  efficacy  of  sovereign  grace, 
neither  the  cavils  of  men  nor  the  temptations  of  the 
wicked  one  were  ever  able  to  deprive  him  of  the  ines- 
timable treasure  until  his  latest  breath. 

It  must  be  regarded  us  a  matter  of  great  importance 
in  any  memoriiJ  of  ^Ii'.  Ouseley,  that  his  personal  reli- 
gion was  not  only  genuine,  but  that  it  was  of  a  very 
high  order:  he  was  not  only  eminently  zealous,  but 
eminently  holy ;  and  the  great  secret  of  his  zeal  was 
the  love  of  God  and  man  that  burned  in  his  heart 
Whatever  natural  powei-s  he  possessed — liowever  they 
were  cultivated  by  vaxious  and  extensive  knowledge — 


MEilORlAI.  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  71 


whatever  facilities  he  had  in  addressing  his  fellow-men 
— whatever  power  of  i-easoning  in  assailing  their  errors, 
or  persuasion  in  engaging  their  affections  on  the  side 
of  truth, — tliat  whicli  gave  the  chief  grace  and  efficacy 
to  liis  ministry,  connected  with  the  blessing  of  God 
upon  it,  was  the  love  of  Christ  by  which  he  was  him- 
self constrained,  and  the  deathless  charity  that  "  bear- 
cth  all  things,  believeth  all  things,  hopeth  all  things, 
endureth  all  things,"  and  that  "  never  faileth." 

It  was  thus  that  this  distinguished  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ  was  schooled  in  a  prepai-atory  course  of  painful 
discipline  and  gracious  instniction ;  by  deep  and  heart- 
rending penitence,  and  thorough  renunciation  of  self, 
on  the  one  hand,  and,  on  the  other,  a  rich  bestowment 
of  divine  grace ;  that  "  by  pureness,  by  knowledge,  by 
long-suffering,  by  kindness,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  love 
unfeigned,  by  the  word  of  truth,  by  the  power  of  God, 
by  the  armor  of  righteousness  on  the  right  hand  and 
on  the  lefl,"  he  might  be  fitted  for  those  hallowed  en- 
terprises and  glorious  achievements  for  which  he  was. 
destined  by  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation. 

When  Mr.  Ouseley  had  been  made  a  partaker  of 
the  rich  and  abountling  mercy  of  God,  he  felt  more 
intenselj-  still  for  the  utter  destitution  of  the  myriads 
of  his  fellow-men  in  the  surrounding  country,  who 
were  Uke  sheep  having  no  shepherd.  He  would  cast 
an  eye  of  wonder  and  pitj-  around  him,  and  yearn  over 
mined  and  helpless  thousands.  A  favorite  text  of  his 
was,  "  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  ac- 
ceptation, that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to 
save  sinners;  of  whom  I  am  chief"  If  thy  mercy 
stooped  to  me,  the  chief  of  sinners,  thou  canst  save  all 
the  world.    Such  were  the  feelings  and  sentiments 


72  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


with  which  his  ardent  soul  was  filled  for  perishing  men, 
when  he  himself  had  found  the  grace  of  life.  The 
following  verses  were  peculiarly  suited  to  his  state  of 
mind  at  this  period : — 

"  Shepherd  of  so\ils,  with  pitying  eye 
The  thousands  of  our  Israel  see  : 
To  thee  in  their  behalf  w  e  cry, 
Ourselves  but  newly  found  in  tliee. 

"  See  wliere  o'er  desert  wastes  they  err, 
And  neither  food  nor  feeder  have, 
Nor  fold,  nor  place  of  refuge,  near  ; 
For  no  man  cares  their  souls  to  save. 

"  Tliy  people,  Lord,  are  sold  for  naught ; 
Nor  know  they  tlieir  Redeemer  nigh  ; 
They  perisli,  whom  thyself  hast  bought ; 
Their  souls  for  lack  of  knowledge  die." 

The  inward  call  of  the  Spirit  was  not  less  urgent 
than  the  demands  made  on  his  sympathies  by  the  in- 
numerable objects  which  crowded  before  liis  aching 
vision,  in  the  moral  gloom  and  dreariness  of 

"  Wilds  immeasurably  spread." 

The  holy  impulse  within,  and  the  divine  command, 
said,  "  Go — go  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature  ;"  and  the  voice  of  misery  from 
without  sounded  in  his  ears,  "  Come  over  and  help  us." 
Yet  so  did  he  feel  his  own  weakness  and  unfitness  for 
such  a  work,  that  he  would  fain  have  pleaded  his  total 
inability ;  he  would  say,  "  Lord,  I  am  a  poor  ignorant 
creature ;  how  can  I  go  ?  Ah,  Lord  God !  behold,  I 
cannot  speak ;  for  I  am  a  child."  Then  it  would  rush 
into  his  mind,  "  Do  you  not  know  the  disease  ?"  "  0 
yes,  Lord,  I  do  1"  "  And  do  you  not  know  the  cure  ?" 
"  O  yes,  glory  be  to  thy  name  !  I  do."  "  Then  go  and 
tell  them  of  the  disease  and  the  cure."   "  So  then, 


HEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  73 

with  only  these  two  things,"  he  would  say,  "  the  know- 
ledge of  the  disease  and  the'knowledge  of  the  cure,  I 
went  forth.    All  glory  to  my  divine  Master  !" 

It  was  now  that  Mr.  Ouseley  extended  his  labors 
beyond  his  own  immediate  neighborhood  ;  and  in  tlie 
year  1792,  and  subsequently,  he  visited  other  parts  of 
his  native  county,  and  the  counties  adjoining,  and  fre- 
quently, if  not  regularly,  preached  from  town  to  town, 
and  from  village  to  village,  the  two  things — "  the  dis- 
ease and  the  remedy." 

Mr.  Ouseley  from  this  time  no  more  doubted  the 
validity  of  his  call  to  preach  the  gospel,  than  he  doubted 
his  own  existence  :  and  dark  and  besotted  must  that 
spirit  be — an  object  not  of  envy,  but  of  pity — who,  by 
a  narrow,  sectarian  exclusiveness,  would  deny  to  this 
good  man  the  right  of  a  call  to  preach  the  gospel.  If 
the  test  set  up  by  our  divine  Master  be  in  this  case 
the  standard  of  appeal — "  Wherefore  by  their  fruits  ye 
shall  know  them  " — then  shall  we  be  at  no  loss  h&w  to 
decide  on  the  merits  of  this  question.  And,  if  this 
shall  be  the  rule  by  which  the  Judge  of  quick  and  dead 
shall  decide,  when  the  final  destinies  of  mankind  shall 
hang  on  the  issue,  we  shall  witness  then,  that  "the 
ungodly  shall  not  stand  in  the  judgment,  nor  sinners  in 
the  congregation  of  the  righteous ;"  and,  that  "  they 
that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  tlie  brightness  of  the  firma- 
ment, and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  as  the 
stars  for  ever  and  ever."  Had  'Mr.  Ouseley  never 
been  recognized  as  a  minister  of  religion,  in  any 
Christian  body,  still  his  claim  to  a  divine  call  would 
have  been  vahd ;  he  would  have  gone  about  doing  good, 
and  many  would  be  stars  in  his  crown  of  rejoicing  in 
the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 


74  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


The  plan  adopted  by  Mi\  Ouseley  in  going  about  the 
country  was  altogether  out  of  the  ordinary  way.  His 
first  sermon  was  preached  in  a  church-yard,  at  a  fune- 
ral ;  a  place  and  occasion  which  he  frequently  ai'tei^ 
ward  selected,  as  afibrding  a  favorable  opportunit}'  for 
addressing  the  assembled  umltitudes  on  the  subjects  of 
death,  eternity,  and  salvation  ;  and  urging  them  to  re- 
pent and  accept  the  mercy  offered  in  the  gospLl.  As 
may  be  supposed,  his  addresses  were  desultory ;  but 
they  were  most  pointed  and  appropriate,  both  as  to  the 
circumstances  under  which  they  were  deUvered,  and 
the  capacities  of  the  people.  He  not  only  preached 
and  exhorted  in  the  streets  and  church-yards,  fairs  and 
markets,  but  was  accustomed  to  attend  the  wake-houses, 
or  jjlaces  where  the  corpse  lay  :  here  he  would  mingle 
with  the  crowds  who  were  collected  for  the  purpose  of 
"  hearing  mass,"  and  wliile  the  priest  read  the  prayers 
in  Latin,  not  one  word  of  which  the  people  could  un- 
derstand, he  would  translate  every  part  that  was  good 
into  Irish,  and  then  address  the  whole  assembly,  in  the 
presence  of  the  priest,  on  their  eternal  interests  ; 
preach  to  them  Jesus,  and  salvation  in  his  name. 

One  instance  of  this  kind  will  answer  to  illustrate 
his  manner  of  proceeding.  Mr.  Ouseley  one  day  rode 
up  to  a  house  where  the  priest  was  celebrating  m;iss ; 
the  large  assembly  were  on  their  knees;  Mr.  Ouseley 
knelt  with  them,  and,  rendering  into  Irish  every  word 
that  would  bear  a  Scriptural  construction,  he  audibly 
repeated  it,  adding,  "  Listen  to  that !"  They  were 
deeply  atfected  ;  the  priest  was  thunderstruck ;  and  all 
were  ready  to  receive  whatever  he  might  say.  Service 
being  ended,  Mr.  Ouseley  and  the  congregation  rose 
to  their  feet ;  he  then  delivered  an  exhortation  on  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSEtET.  75 


need  of  Laving  their  peace  made  with  God — of  being 
reconciled  to  him — submitting  to  the  doctrine  of  recon- 
ciliation by  real  penitence,  and  bj  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  When  he  had  concluded,  they  cried  out 
to  the  priest,  Father,  who  is  that  V"  "  I  don't  know," 
replied  the  priest,  '•  he  is  not  a  man  at  all,  he  is  an 
angel;  no  mati  could  do  what  he  has  done."  Mr. 
Ouscley  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  away,  followed  by 
the  blessings  of  the  multitude.*  This  instance  will 
show,  that  however  desultory  the  manner,  there  was 
regular  method  in  all  his  proceedings,  exactly  agreeing 
with  the  state  of  society  as  he  found  it,  and  better 
adapted  to  the  circumstances  and  prejudices  of  the 
people  tlian  any  set  form  of  ministration  could  possibly 
have  been  ;  and,  as  frequently  appeared,  great  blessing 
accompanied  the  -word,  thus  brought  home  to  the  wants 
and  hearts  of  multitudes. 

This  species  of  missionary  labor  did  !Mr.  Ouseley 
ceaselessly  and  indcfatigably  pursue,  throughout  the 
province  of  Connaught,  and  occasionally  as  fer  as 

*  The  biographer  of  Mr.  Thomas  AValsh  preserves  the  following 
account,  which,  as  it  bears  some  resemblance  to  the  above,  and  as  I 
have  not  seen  it  m  those  notices  given  by  Dr.  Mason  or  others,  I 
would  here  insert  by  way  of  note  : — 

The  Rev.  Nicholas  Brown,  a  rector  in  tlie  diocese  of  Clogher,  ap- 
plied himself  with  great  zeal  and  industry  to  the  conversion  of  the 
Irish,  in  the  year  1T02.  Understanding  the  language  thoroughly,  he 
appointed  public  meetmgs,  and  contrived  to  be  wiih  them  just  when 
mass  was  ended,  and  before  the  congregation  was  dispersed.  He 
then  read  prayers,  and  preached  to  them  in  Irish  in  the  open  air. 
Upon  one  of  these  occasions,  the  priest,  being  much  troubled  at  see- 
ing his  congregation  attending  with  so  much  pleasure  and  devotion, 
told  them,  witli  a  loud  voice,  "  that  our  church  had  stolen  those 
prayers  from  the  Church  of  Rome."  To  which  a  grave  old  native 
answered,  "  that  truly,  if  it  was  so,  they  had  stolen  the  best,  as 
thieves  generally  do." 


76  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Lemstcr,  for  nearly  seven  years  prior  to  bis  appoint- 
ment by  tbe  Methodist  Conference  to  the  regular 
work  of  an  Irish  missionary.  It  was  his  custom  on  the 
week-days  to  make  excursions,  as  has  been  already 
observed,  to  different  parts  of  tlie  neighborhood,  to 
funerals,  places  of  public  resort,  fairs,  and  markets; 
and  on  those  occasions  preach  Jesus  to  assembled  mul- 
titudes. He  would  then,  on  the  Saturday,  ride  oif  to 
towns  and  villages  twenty  or  more  miles  distant,  and 
with  all  humility  of  mind  preach  and  exhort  several 
times  on  the  day  of  the  Lord ;  return  again  in  the 
beginning  of  the  week,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  resume 
his  labor  of  love  among  liis  ignorant  neighbors.  In 
those  early  times  of  his  pious  and  faithful  exertions, 
he  could  say,  "I  have  not  shunned  to  declare  unto  you 
all  the  counsel  of  God.  I  ceased  not  to  warn  every 
one,  night  and  day,  with  tears."  And  in  this  way  did 
the  devoted  servant  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  regard- 
less of  health,  ease,  worldly  motives,  or  even  hfe,  pur- 
sue his  toilsome  course,  for  the  glory  of  his  great 
Master,  and  the  wellbcing  of  his  countrj'men. 

Mr.  Ouselcy's  public  and  out-door  ministry  was  not 
the  only  method  by  which  he  endeavored  to  do  good. 
He  taught,  indeed,  "  publicly,  and  from  house  to 
house ;"  but  his  colloquial  mode  of  inculcating  the 
lessons  of  sacred  instruction  on  those  who  were  igno- 
rant and  out  of  the  way,  was  then,  as  it  continued 
through  after  years,  as  remarkable  as  it  was  success- 
ful. Two  or  three  specimens  will  serve  to  illustrate 
his  general  method  in  this  respect.  In  one  of  his  ex- 
cursions, about  the  time  we  speak  of,  he  met  a  man 
who  had  taken  a  severe  pilgrimage  of  forty  Irish  miles, 
imposed  on  him  by  his  priest,  as  penance.   Mr.  Ouseley 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  77 


accosted  him  In  Irish  :  "  Where  have  you  been  ?"  "  At 
the  Reck,"  was  the  reply. 

Mr.  Ouseleij.  ^ATiat  were  you  doing  there,  poor  man  ? 

Pilgrim.  Looking  for  God. 

Mr.  Omeley.  Where  is  God? 

Pilgrim.  Everj'whene. 

Mr.  Ouseley.  Where  would  you  go  to  look  for  the 
daylight  when  the  sun  rose  this  morning  ?  Would  you 
go  forty  miles  to  look  for  the  daylight,  when  it  was 
I     shining  into  your  own  cabin  door  ? 

Pilgrim.  O,  the  Lord  help  us  !  I  would  not,  sir. 
Mr.  Ouseley.  Then  would  you  go  on  your  feet  forty 
I     long  miles  to  look  for  God,  when  you  could  get  him  at 
your  own  door  ? 

Pilgrim.  O  then,  may  the  Lord  pity  us,  gentleman ! 
It 's  true  for  you !    It 's  true  for  you  ! 

Another  case,  though  of  a  very  different  description, 
was  the  following : — A  gentleman,  a  stranger,  rode  up 
with  him  one  day.    After  the  common  salutations  had 
been  interchanged,  Mr.  Ouseley  immediately  spoke  to 
him  about  the  great  salvation  that  Christ  the  Lord 
came  down  from  heaven  to  give  to  his  creatures, 
';     equally  the  privilege  of  the  rich  and  the  poor.  The 
I     gentleman  expressed  some  doubts  as  to  the  truth  of 
i  Christianity. 

,       Mr.  Ouseley.  Don't  you  think,  sir,  that  Jesus  Christ 
I    was  at  least  a  good  7iian  ? 
'        Gentleman.  Ye-e-s,  I  do. 

Mr.  Ouseley.  Do  you  not  think  that  he  was  a  good 
teacher  ? 

Gentleman.  Indeed  I  must  acknowledge  I  think  he 
j    certainly  was. 

I       Mr.  Ouseley.  Another  step,  sir.    Is  it  not  your  opi- 


78  MEMOEIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


nion  that  he  was  really  the  best  teacher  that  ever  the 
world  saw  ? 

Oentleman.  [With  some  hesitation.]  Well,  in  can- 
dor, I  must  admit  it  as  my  opinion  that  he  was ;  but 
then — 

Mr.  Ouseley.  But  then  !  What  then,  sir  ?  Can  you 
blame  me  for  learning  from  the  best  teacher  that  ever 
the  world  saw  ? 

The  gentleman  seemed  more  surprised  and  pleased 
than  confounded  ;  and  it  is  hoped  the  conversation  re- 
sulted in  convincing  a  skeptical  mind  of  at  least  the 
truth  of  Christianity. 

At  one  time,  while  Mr.  Ouseley  was  at  home,  he 
was  engaged,  as  was  occasionally  the  case,  in  some 
mathematical  pursuit,  when  a  Roman  Cathohe  gentle- 
man called  on  him,  and  made  some  remark  on  the 
sublimity  of  the  science,  as  well  as  the  accuracy  and 
beauty  of  the  instrument  which  he  was  using.  He 
soon  turned  the  observation  to  account  in  reference  to 
the  subject  which  with  him  was  always  uppei-most. 
"  Yes,"  he  replied  ;  "  there  is  Euclid,"  pointing  to  the 
book :  "  take  him  up.  If  you  abide  by  him,  he  will 
bear  you  out ;  but  if  in  any  one  instance  you  depart 
from  the  principles  laid  down  by  him,  you  forfeit  all 
chiim  to  liis  support :  you  will  inevitably  go  astray." 
"  That  is  very  true,"  rejoined  his  neighbor.  "  Very 
well,  sir,"  continued  Mr.  Ouseley :  "  take  up  the  New 
Testament ;  read  it ;  and  if  you  abide  in  the  truth  re- 
vealed in  it,  you  will  be  infallibly  right:  Christ  the 
Lord,  the  great  Author  of  that  book,  will  stand  by  you. 
If,  however,  you  fors:ike  it,  you  deny  Christ ;  and,  if 
you  were  priest,  or  bishop,  or  pope,  Christ  vnW  disown 
you."    "  O,  sir,  it  is  all  right,"  repliwl  the  gentleman. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  79 


These  brief,  pithy  remarks,  were  generally  but  the 
beginning  of  a  series,  in  which  the  truths  of  the  gospel 
were  explained  and  enforced  with  considerable  effect. 
Instances  such  as  the  above  were  countless  ;  but  they 
afford  specimens  of  his  every-day  proceedings  and 
manner,  even  in  the  earlier  pai-t  of  his  pious  efforts  to 
do  good.  Those  acquainted  with  him  in  after  life  will 
remember,  no  doubt,  many  such  sayings  as  those  now 
given,  where  the  readiness  with  which  he  met  every 
case,  and  improved  eveiy  circumstance,  however  trivial, 
and  the  familiar  comparisons  by  which  he  illustrated 
and  applied  the  truth,  wei-e  made  signally  beneficial  to 
persons  of  all  classes,  high  and  low,  learned  and  ig- 
norant, whom  he  addressed.  And  those  who  traveled 
with  him,  and  were  privileged  with  frequent  opportu- 
nities of  hearing  him,  liaTC  been  sui-prised  at  the 
facility  with  which,  in  this  conversational  way,  he 
brought  home  the  most  important  things  to  the  minds 
of  every  description  of  persons;  and  the  endless  re- 
sources he  possessed,  for  all  occasions,  were  such  as  for- 
cibly to  remind  them  of  the  word  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour :  "  Therefore  every  scribe  which  is  instructed 
unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  a  man  that  is 
a  householder,  which  bringeth  out  of  his  treasure  things 
new  and  old." 

Many  proofs  were  exhibited  of  the  gracious  fruits 
which  were  vouchsafed  by  tl;c  great  Head  of  the  church 
to  those  pious  labors  of  IVIr.  Ouseley.  I  shall  relate 
one  instance,  in  connection  with  the  scene  in  the  wake- 
house,  (see  Appendi.x  C)  above  referred  to,  which 
will  give  evidence  of  the  result  in  several  others. 
Some  considerable  time  after  he  had  exhorted  the 
priest  and  congregation,  he  was  riding,  and  came  up 


80  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


with  a  countryman,  wboni  he  addressed  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Mr.  Ou^eleij.  My  dear  man,  would  you  not  like  to 
be  reconciled  to  God,  have  his  peace  in  your  heart, 
and  stand  clear  before  the  great  Judge,  when  he  will 
come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  judge  the  world  ? 

Peasant.  O,  glory  be  to  his  holy  and  blessed  name ! 
sir ;  I  have  his  peace  in  my  heart ;  and  the  Lord  be 
praised  that  I  ever  saw  your  face !" 

Mr.  Ouseley.  You  have !  what  do  you  know  about 
this  peace  ?    When  did  you  see  me  ? 

Peasant.  Don't  you  remember  the  day,  sir,  that  you 
were  at  the  berriu,  (burial,)  when  the  priest  was  say- 
ing mass  ? 

Mr.  Ouseley.  I  do  very  well ;  what  about  that  da}'  ? 

Peasant.  O,  gentleman,  you  told  us  then  how  to  get 
that  peace ;  and  I  went,  blessed  be  his  holy  name,  to 
Jesus  Christ,  my  Saviour,  and  got  it  in  my  heart;  and 
have  it  here  ever  since. 

These  instances  exhibit  the  early  character  and  use- 
fulness of  ]\Ir.  Ouseley,  while  they  give  indications  of 
one  whom  God  himself  had  prepared  by  nature  and 
grace  for  his  work. 

Had  not  Mr.  Ouseley  been  I'eceived  into  the  Me- 
thodist connection  as  a  preacher,  he  would,  in  all  like- 
lihood, have  taken  orders  in  the  Established  Church. 
But  his  zeal,  like  that  of  the  founder  of  Methodism, 
would  have  been  too  ardent  and  determined  to  be  tied 
down  by  the  restrictions  of  the  rubric.  Though  he 
might  not  have  said,  "  The  world  is  my  parish,"  he 
would  have  said,  (and  would  have  acted,  too,  in  con- 
formity with  his  own  saying,)  "  Ireland  is  my  parish." 
No  bounds  but  those  prescribed  by  Providence  could 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  81 


have  limited  his  fervor  of  feeling  and  detenninatlon  of 
purpose.  He  was  carried  forward  by  a  vehemence  of 
desire  for  the  salvation  of  men  which  nothing  could 
allay,  united  vnth  a  firmness  and  invincibleness  of  re- 
solve that  could  not  be  impeded  until  his  object  was 
attained.  That  which,  to  minds  of  common  mold,  ap- 
peared to  be  wild  and  visionary,  was  in  him  the  result 
of  wcU-digested  design.  Enthusiasm  he  bad;  but  it 
was  the  enthusiasm  of  inspiration  that  filled  and  en- 
larged his  soul  beyond  the  common  bounds.  It  was 
not  of  that  nature,  however,  which  seeks  the  end  with- 
out the  means ;  but  that  which  aims  at  mighty  objects 
that  never  fail  of  their  accomphshment.  His  mode  of 
proceeding,  then,  which  to  others  appeared  so  iiTe- 
gular,  was  inconceivably  better  adapted  to  the  ele- 
ments on  which  he  had  to  bring  the  truth  of  God  to 
bear  than  the  plans  of  the  philosopher,  or  the  measures 
of  the  statesman ;  and  evidently  effected  a  great  amount 
of  mord  good  where  a  regular  mode  of  teaching,,  and 
the  most  exact  system  of  ecclesiastical  order,  would 
have  failed.  The  language  of  the  great  apostle  of  the 
Gentiles, — "  Whether  we  be  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to 
God;  or  whether  we  be  sober,  it  is  for  your  cause. 
For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us," — might  have 
been  adopted  by  Mr.  Ouseley  ;  and  perhaps  this  scrip- 
tui-e  has  not,  in  modern  times,  been  more  legitimately 
aj)plied  than  in  his  case.  He  was  "instant  in  season, 
out  of  season ;"  and  the  results  of  those  early  labors, 
wliicb  were  "  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord,"  demonstrated 
that  the  impulses  by  which  he  had  been  directed  were 
divine. 

The  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  may  be  perceived 
in  thus  raising  up,  in  tlie  darkest  part  of  Ireland,  such 


82  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELETi 


an  instrument  for  his  own  gracious  purpose  to  enlighten 

the  myriads  around  him  who  "  sat  in  the  region  of  the 
shadow  of  death,"  in  the  lowest  state  of  moral  and  spi- 
ritual destitution ;  and  fitting  him  by  such  extraordi- 
nary gifts  for  the  work  for  wliich  he  had  designed  him, 
and  to  which  he  sent  him  forth ;  a  work  which  had 
been,  alas !  long  neglected  and  forgotten  by  the  Chris- 
tian World — the  preaching  to  the  people  of  Ireland,  in 
their  own  tongue,  "  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ." 
That  a  great  impulse  had  been  given  by  indirect  means 
to  many  portions  of  that  class  of  people  to  whom  Mi. 
Ouseley's  ministry  was  from  the  first  directed,  is  cer- 
tain ;  and  that  some  occasional  good  of  a  direct  kind 
had  been  attempted  by  benevolent  individuals,  in  some 
parts  of  the  kingdom,  nearly  a  hundred  years  before 
his  time,  is  admitted ;  but  even  then  the  province  of 
Connaught  derived  no  advantage  from  those  early 
efi'orts  for  the  benefit  of  the  Irish.  It  is  lamented  by 
good  men  of  all  parties  that  no  permanent,  systematic 
agency  had  been  estabhshed  to  meet  the  wants  of  the 
forlorn  and  destitute ;  and,  with  all  respect  to  others, 
it  may  with  safety  be  averred,  that  never  before  had  a 
messenger  of  the  gospel  been  commissioned  to  bear 
the  tidings  of  salvation  to  the  native  Irish  more  emi- 
nently qualified  for  this  important  vocation.  Whether 
we  regard  the  matter  of  his  deep  personal  piety — the 
gracious  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost  with  which  he 
was  so  largely  endued — the  pecuUar  adaptation  of  Iiis 
mind  and  acquirements  to  the  work — his  perfect  ac- 
quaintance with  the  national  habits  and  religious  pre- 
judices of  the  people — his  natural  bravery  and  unbroken 
resolution — and  his  great  bodily  strength,  enabling  him 
to  pass  through  a  course  of  patient,  persevering  toil, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  83 


unequaled  in  modem  times,  and  far  beyond  the  com- 
mon reach  of  human  energy  and  health — we  must  de- 
voutly acknowledge  a  divine  Providence  in  the  call, 
the  qualifications,  and  lengthened  ministry,  of  Mr. 
Gideon  Ouseley.  Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  V. 

Ijibors  of  Messrs.  John  and  Charles  Wesley  and  their  coadjutors— Indirect  effects  on 
the  native  Irish— Direct  Instruction  through  ths  medium  of  their  own  language, 
attemptJHl  early  in  the  eighteenth  century— Limited  and  ahort  lived^Mr.  Thomat 
WaUh — Testimony  of,  by  Dr.  Mason — Eulogy  on,  by  Southey — Kariy  connection 
with  the  Church  of  Rome — Deeply  convinced  of  sin^Finda  no  comfort  in  Hie  Church 
of  Rome— He.iia  Mr.  Robert  Swindells  in  the  street  of  LimeJicb- His  conversion- 
Commences  preaching  in  the  county  of  Tipperary — Labors  in  Munster — Cotinaught— 
Leinstci^Thc  north— Suffers  sore  persecotion  from  various  parties— Eflects  produced 
on  the  Irisli  by  his  street  preaching— Deatli  in  Dublin— Mr.  CharleM ,  Crafiatn—Au 
eminent  Irish  preacher— Raised  up  In  the  province  of  Connaugh  —Labors  as  a  local 
preacher  for  twenty-one  years — Appointed  as  an  Irish  missionary  by  Mr.  Wesley— 
Mr.  Bartholomew  Campbell — Originally  a  Roman  Catholic — Great  distress  of  mind — 
Pilgrimage  to  Loiigh-Derg— He  believes  on  Christ — Scene  ui  a  church-yard— Very 
useful  among  the  Irish. 

My  Deaii  Friend, — I  have  noticed  ]\Ir.  Ouseley's 
conversion,  his  consequent  labors,  and,  in  connection 
with  them,  his  qualifications  for  the  work  in  which 
we  shall  afterward  find  him  engaged.  Before 
entering  on  the  circumstances  under  which  that  work 
was  commenced,  our  attention  is  claimed  by  the 
preaching  of  Messrs.  John  and  Charles  Wesley, 
and  their  coadjutors,  because  of  its  effects  on  the 
Irish  population  previous  to  the  conversion  of  Mr. 
Ouseley.  Indeed  we  cannot  omit  noticing  this,  if  we 
would  place  the  subject  in  a  proper  light.  Through 
the  iustrumcntaUty  of  Methodism,  ]Mr.  Ouseley  was 
brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth :  the 
mission,  in  which  he  spent  hia  ministerial  life,  was 
entered  on  under  the  direction  of  the  Methodist  Con- 


84  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


ference ;  and  any  details  relative  to  these  do,  in  fact, 
but  sei-ve  to  exhibit,  in  one  of  its  departments,  that 
great  revival  of  religion  of  which  the  Wesleys  were 
such  honored  instruments. 

The  preaching  of  the  Messrs.  Wesley  and  their  co- 
adjutors was  not  without  indirect  benefit  to  the  native 
Irish.  In  the  counties  where  the  Irish  language  is 
most  in  use,  the  doctrines  and  influence  of  Methodism 
had  very  much  prevailed  ;  great  numbers  of  the  upper 
and  middle  ranks  of  society  embraced  the  truth,  and 
in  most  cases  those  persons  used  the  Irish  language : 
many  of  them  were  employed  as  class  leaders ;  they 
became  the  faithful  interpreters  of  the  word  preached, 
to  their  neighbors,  tenantry,  and  workmen  ;  and,  by 
those  means,  there  can  be  no  question  that  many  of  the 
lower  orders  of  the  mere  Irish  had  been  indirectly 
reached,  by  the  ministi-y  of  Messrs.  John  and  Charles 
Wesley,  and  the  first  preachers  in  Ireland.  It  was 
not  unusual,  even  in  later  times,  when  the  missionary, 
in  his  regular  visits  to  a  neighborhood,  stopped  at"  the 
house  of  a  gentleman  who  understood  the  Irish  lan- 
guage, to  wtness  very  interesting  scenes  :  the  gentle- 
man would  invite  the  country  schoolmaster,  who 
could  read  Irish,  (a  Romah  Catholic  withal,)  and  there 
would  they  spend  tlie  evening — several  of  the  natives 
being  present — reading  the  Irish  Bible,  comparing  it 
witli  the  English  version,  and  making  such  useful  and 
practical  observations  as  would  be  suggested  to  their 
minds  on  the  occasion.  These  means,  however,  could 
be  brought  into  but  limited  operation  :  though  good 
in  themselves,  and  in  their  effects,  they  were  by  no 
means  commensurate  with  the  moral  wants  of  the  native 
Irish. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  85 


But  an  agency  was  furnished  from  the  ranks  of  these 
devoted  men,  which  exerted  a  dii-ect  influence  on  the 
native  population.  Efforts  to  teach  the  people,  through 
the  medium  of  their  own  tongue,  have  ah-eady  been 
referred  to,  as  made  at  the  commencement  of  the  last 
century,  in  some  districts  of  Ireland,  by  philanthropic 
persons  of  distinction  in  the  Irish  Church.  Those 
attempts,  however,  were  circumscribed  and  short-lived. 
Dr.  Mason,  in  his  work  on  "  Employing  the  Irish  Lan- 
guage as  a  Medium  for  conveying  Scriptural  Instruc- 
tion to  the  native  Peasantry  of  Ireland,"  having  men- 
tioned those  efforts,  adds, — "  It  is  the  very  circumstance 
that  we  are  how  occupied  in  regi-etting,  that  the  last 
century  does  scarcely  afford  an  instance  after  these,  to 
continue  our  chain  of  evidence  from  experience  on 
this  subject :  a  striking  one,  however,  is  to  be  found 
among  those  eminent  instruments  in  promoting  the 
revival  of  vital  reUgion  in  the  latter  days — the  follow- 
ers of  John  Wesley."  He  then  refers  to  Southey's  Life 
of  Wesley,  in  which  the  foUowng  account  is  given  of 
the  successes  of  Thomas  Walsh,  the  first  of  the  early 
Methodist  preachers  who  addressed  the  L-ish  people  in 
their  native  tongue  : — "  The  command  of  that  language 
gave  him  great  advantage.  It  was  long  ago  said  in 
Ireland,  '  II"  you  plead  for  your  life,  plead  in  Irish  1' 
The  Catholics  listened  willingly  when  addressed  in 
their  mother  tongue.  His  hearei's  frequently  shed 
tears,  and  frequently  sobbed  aloud,  and  cried  for 
mercy;  and,  in  countrj'  towns,  the  peasantry  who, 
going  there  upon  market-days,  had  stopped  to  hear  the 
preacher  from  mere  wonder  and  curiositj-,  were  often- 
times melted  into  tears,  and  declared  that  they  could 
follow  him  all  over  the  world." 


86  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


The  admirable  Memoir  of  Mr.  Walsh,  witten  by  his 
friend  ]Mr.  J.  Morgan  *  being  so  well  known,  renders 
inexpedient,  in  this  record,  any  more  than  a  very  brief 
notice  of  his  character  and  labors ;  and  yet,  as  he  was 
a  link  in  tlie  "chain  of  evidence  "that  continues  down 
to  the  close  of  the  last  century,  I  conceive  that  any 
sketch  of  the  Irish  mission  would  be  defective  wbich 
did  not  include  his  honored  name. 

Mr.  Walsh  was  born  and  educated  in  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  was,  if  not  a  bigoted,  a  sincere  member  of 
that  church.  While  in  her  communion,  he  was,  with- 
out any  means  that  could  be  supposed  likely  to  lead  to 
such  an  effect,  brought  under  deep  concern  of  mind 
for  his  personal  salvation.  Deeply  convinced  of  his 
lost  condition,  he  sought  relief ;  but  feeling  the  strength 
of  his  own  conniptions,  and  his  utter  helplessness,  he 
in  vain  sought  deliverance  from  the  power  and  guilt  of 
sin.  He  went  to  confession  to  his  priest :  submitted  to 
the  penance  prescribed  by  him ;  fasted,  and  repeated 
his  numerous  prayers ;  but  found  no  comfort  to  his 
troubled  spirit  in  these  "  beggarly  elements,"  until  he 
was  brought  to  the  brink  of  despondency.  Passing, 
while  in  this  state,  to  his  lodging,  in  the  city  of 
Limerick,  on  the  17th  of  March,  1749,  being  then 
only  in  his  nineteenth  year,  his  attention  was  attracted 
by  an  uncommonly  large  concourse  of  people,  assem- 
bled in  a  place  called  the  Parade.  He  turned  aside  to 
see  what  it  meant.  There  stood  Mr.  Robert  Swin- 
dells in  the  act  of  preaching  to  the  surrounding  multi- 
tude. Mr.  Swindells  had  accompanied  Mr.  Wesley  on 
his  second  visit  to  Ireland,  and  remained  some  consider- 
able time  in  the  country,  faithfully  preaching  the  goa- 
♦Publislied  at  our  Book  Concern,  in  New-York.— Am.  Ed. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  87 


pel  in  various  parts.  His  text  on  this  occasion  was, 
Matt,  xi,  28,  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor,  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  The  very 
sound  of  this  invitation  was  as  a  balm  to  Mr.  Walsh's 
wounded  spirit.  Some  short  time  after  this,  under  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  William  Tucker,  he  obtained  a  sense 
of  the  divine  favor  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  The 
way  by  which  he  was  led  from  his  first  awakenings 
was  dark  and  distressing  beyond  description ;  but  soon, 
under  the  preaching  of  these  early  heralds  of  the  cross, 
he  was  brought  by  his  gracious  Deliverer  "  into  a  wealthy 
place."  Then,  his  deep  devotion  and  holy  joy  equaled 
his  previous  penitence  and  distress.  His  own  account 
of  his  conversion  is  most  affecting.    His  words  are : — 

"  There  was  kindled  in  my  soul  a  still  more  vehe- 
ment thirst  after  Christ.  Noticing  could  now  satisfy 
me  but  the  knowledge  of  an  interest  in  his  blood.  My 
soul  was  sick  yyith  fervent  longings." 

"About  four  months  after  my  most  deep  awaken- 
ings, and  joining  the  Methodist  society,  the  clear  day 
began  to  shine,  and  the  Lord,  '  who  is  rich  in  mfercy,' 
visited  me  with  his  salvation.  He  brought  me  out  of 
the  horrible  pit,  and  set  my  feet  upon  the  Rock.  The 
particular  manner  of  which  was  as  follows  : — Coming 
into  the  room  where  we  often  met  together,  I  sat 
musing  and  meditating.  My  soul  was  looking  out,  and 
longing  for  Christ,  as  the  watchman  for  the  morning. 
The  congregation  being  assembled,  the  servant  of  God 
(Mr.  W.  T.)  poured  out  his  soul  in  prayer.  While  he 
did  this,  the  power  of  God  came  down  in  the  midst  of 
us :  the  '  windows  of  heaven  were  opened,  and  the 
skies  poured  down  righteousness.'  My  heart  melted, 
like  wax  before  the  fire  ;  especially  at  the  mentioa  of 


88  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSKLKY. 


these  words :  '  "Who  is  he  that  cometh  from  Edoni,  with 
dyed  garments  from  Bozrah  ?  This  that  is  glorious  in 
his  apparel,  traveling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength?' 
And  again,  at  singing  those  words  in  the  hymn  : 

'Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind, 

Nail'd  to  the  shameful  tree  1 
How  vast  the  love  tliat  him  inclined 
To  bleed  and  die  for  thee  I 
'  'Tis  done  I  the  precious  ransom 's  paid  ; 
Receive  my  soul,  he  cries  ! 
See,  where  he  bows  his  sacred  head  I 
He  bows  his  head,  ahd  dies.' 

"  The  prayer  and  the  hymn  came  with  such  power  to 
my  heart,  that  I  was  constrained  to  cry  out,  '  Bless  the 
Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  ^vithin  me  bless  his 
holy  name  ;  for  he  hath  forgiven  all  my  iniquity,  and 
healed  my  diseases.' 

"  And  now  was  I  diviuely  assured  that  God,  for 
Christ's  sake,  had  forgiven  me  idl  my  sins.  The  Spirit 
of  God  bore  witness  with  my  spirit  that  I  was  a  child 
of  God.  '  Mercy  and  truth  met  together,'  in  my  heart : 
'  righteousness  and  peace  kissed  each  other.'  Yea,  so 
great  was  the  deliverance,  that  I  could  not  contain  my- 
self. I  broke  out  into  tears  of  joy  and  love.  Having 
obtained  such  mercy,  I  could  not  but  join  with  the 
angels  (Luke  xv,  10)  to  sing  praises  to  '  Him  that 
sitteth  upon  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb,'  who  so 
loved  me,  and  washed  me  from  my  sins  in  his  own 
blood.  A  new  song  was  indeed  put  into  my  mouth, 
even  of  thanksgiving  unto  my  God  ; — 

'Honor,  and  might,  and  thanks,  and  praise, 
I  render  to  my  pard'ninj  God  ; 
Extol  the  riches  of  thy  grace, 
Aiid  spread  thy  saving  name  abroad  ,- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELEY.  89 


That  only  name  to  sinners  given. 
Which  lifts  podr  dying  worms  to  heaven. 
'  Me  in  my  blood  thy  love  pass'd  by, 

And  stopp'd,  my  ruin  to  retrieve  ; 
Wept  o'er  my  soul,  thy  pitying  eye  ; 

Thy  bowels  j  eam'd,  and  sounded,  Live  ! 
Dj'ing,  I  heard  tlie  welcome  sound. 
And  pardon  in  tliy  mercy  found. 
'  No  condemnation  now  I  dread  ; 

Jesus,  and  all  in  him,  is  mine  '. 
Alive  in  him,  my  living  Head, 

And  clothed  in  righteousness  divine, 
Bold  I  approacli  th'  eternal  throne, 
And  claim  the  crown,  through  Christ  my  oicti.' 

"  I  had  often  in  private  cried  aloud  to  God,  yet  it 
was  not  till  now  that  I  did  so  in  the  congregation. 
But  my  wound  being  liealed,  a  necessity  was  laid  upon 
me  to  declare  what  the  Lord  had  done  for  my  soul. 
In  the  same  hour  another,  who  sat  next  to  me,  was 
filled  with  joy  and  peace  in  believing.  "We  both  with- 
di-ew  to  another  room,  and  gave  thanks  and  praise  to 
God  together. 

'  All  glory  and  praise  To  Jesus  our  Lord !  » 
His  ransoming  grace  We  gladly  record  : 
His  bloody  oblation— His  death  on  the  tree — 
Hath  purchased  salvation,  And  heaven  for  me  ! 

'The  Saviour  hath  died,  For  me  and  for  you  ; 
The  blood  is  applied,  The  record  is  true  ; 
The  Spirit  bears  witness,  And  speaks  in  the  blood. 
And  gives  us  the  fitness  For  living  with  God.' 

"  And  now  I  felt  of  a  truth  that  faith  in  Christ  is 
'  the  substance,'  or  subsistence,  '  of  things  lioped  for,' 
and  the  '  evidence  of  things  not  seen.' " — Life,  pp. 
44-47. 

He  had  not  been  long  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  great 
salvation  before  ho  longed  to  make  it  known  to  others. 


90  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


He  had  a  deep  impression  on  his  mind  that  God  had 
called  him  to  preach  to  his  perishing  fellow-countrymen 
salvation  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  He  soon  informed  Mr. 
Wesley,  and  sought  his  counsel  in  the  ease.  The 
answer  of  Mr.  Wesley  is  brief  and  characteristic  : — 

"  My  Deak  BuoTliKR, — It  is  hard  to  judge  what 
God  has  called  you  to,  till  trial  is  made.  Therefore, 
when  you  have  an  opportunity,  you  may  go  to  Shronil, 
and  spend  two  or  three  days  with  the  people  there. 
Speak  to  them  in  Irish." 

]\Ir.  Walsh  lost  no  time.  Accompanied  by  one  of 
his  own  brothers,  and  by  another  Christian  friend,  he 
walked  to  the  place,  a  distance  of  thirty  English  miles  ; 
and  here,  in  a  village  in  the  county  of  Tipperary,  did 
this  young  evangelist  open  his  commission. 

Mr.  Walsh  was  a  burning  and  shining  light ;  and, 
during  the  brief  season  of  his  life  and  ministry,  the 
churches  were  willing  to  rejoice  in  his  light.  "  I  knew 
a  young  man,  about  twenty  years  ago,"  says  Mr.  Wes- 
ley, "  who  was  so  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  Bible, 
that  if  he  was  questioned  concerning  any  Hebrew 
word  in  the  Old,  or  any  Greek  word  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment, he  would  tell,  after  a  little  pause,  not  only  how 
often  the  one  or  the  other  occurred  in  the  Bible,  but 
also  what  it  meant  in  every  place.  His  name  was 
Thomas  Walsh.  Such  a  master  of  Biblical  knowledge 
I  never  saw  before,  and  never  expect  to  sec  again." 

This  was  the  first  Methodist  Irish  missionary;  and 
"  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness."  For  three 
years  he  preached,  at  all  seasons,  through  his  native 
county  and  province;  through  Leinstcr,  Connaught, 
and  even  the  northern  province.   He  suffered  perse- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY,  91 


cution  from  clcrgjmcn  and  magi3trates ;  from  Church- 
men and  Presbyterians ;  and,  above  all,  from  Papists ; 
while,  in  English,  and  especially  in  Irish,  he  was  in- 
cessant in  beseeching  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God. 

Having  himself,  however,  early  felt  the  advantage 
of  street  preaching,  (for  be  it  remembered,  Thomas 
Walsh  was  the  fruit  of  street  preaching,)  he  went  to 
the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  as  well  as  to  the  hedges, 
and  highways,  and  fields ;  and  even  traveling  by  the 
way,  he  sought  after  those  who  wandered  in  the  mazes 
of  moral  darkness,  that  he  might  rescue  them  from 
error,  superstition,  and  sin.  He  yearned  with  intense 
compassion  over  millions  of  his  countrymen,  and  sought, 

"  With  cries,  entreaties,  tears,  to  save  ; 
To  snatch  them  from  the  gaping  grave." 

And  his  zealous  labors  were  as  successful  as  they  were 
various. 

His  mode  of  preaching  was  the  veiy  best  that  could 
have  been  adopted  by  a  street  preacher;  though  so 
very  young,  he  seemed  in  this  respect,  as  well  as  in 
others,  to  be  divinely  dii-ectcd.  Mr.  Walsh's  preach- 
ing was  without  controversy ;  and  this,  with  an  Irish 
audience,  is  the  most  acceptable  and  most  successful 
manner.  'When,  on  one  occasion,  going  to  Roscrea  to 
preach,  he  was  met  by  a  large  number  of  men  ;  nearly 
eighty  having  bound  themselves  by  an  oath,  if  not  to 
kill  him,  that,  at  least,  they  would  not  let  him  preach. 
They  intended  putting  Jiim  into  a  well ;  but  through 
the  interference  of  the  Protestant  clergyman,  he  got 
out  of  their  hands  unhurt.  When  they  mi  t  him,  he 
said,  "  I  contend  with  no  man  about  opinions ;  but 
preach  against  sin  and  wickedness  in  all.  Supposing," 
he  added, "  three  persons  among  you  of  diflferent  de- 


92  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


nominations,  it  may  be  a  Churchman,  a  Quaker,  and  a 
Papist,  sitting  down  and  drinking  to  excess,  begin  to 
dispute,  each  affirming  that  his  was  the  best  religion — 
where  is  the  religion  of  all  these  men  ?  Surely  they 
are  without  any,  unless  it  be  that  of  Belial.  They  are 
of  their  father  the  devil,  while  his  works  they  do.  And 
if  they  live  and  die  in  this  condition,  hell  must  be  their 
portion."    This  they  could  not  gainsay. 

Religion,  he  would  tell  them,  was  not  a  bare  profes- 
sion :  that  the  true  way  was  to  forsake  sin ;  and  that, 
in  order  thereto,  it  was  needful  that  a  person  should 
be  pure  in  spirit,  feel  that  he  is  a  sinner,  mourn  on  that 
account  with  a  broken  and  contrite  heart,  forsake  sin 
by  applying  to  the  Lord  for  strength,  and  then  believe 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation,  as  it  is  his  blood 
that  cleanseth  from  all  unrighteousness.  Then  he  would 
enforce  on  them  the  indispensable  necessity  of  obeying 
the  gospel,  by  conforming  to  the  rules  therein  laid  down ; 
living  soberly,  righteously,  and  godly,  in  this  present 
world.  These  were  the  doctrines  which  that  devoted 
man  inculcated  on  the  thousands  of  his  benighted 
countrymen ;  a  kind  of  preaching  which  is  peculiarly 
suited  to  the  views  of  the  Irish,  which  cannot  at  any 
time  fail  of  effect,  in  sapping  the  foundations  of  all 
error,  and  leading  sinners  immediately  to  Christ  for 
salvation :  and,  if  delivered  in  their  own  loved  lan- 
guage, it  would  be  irresistible.  In  the  fervor  of  his 
pious  soul  he  was  wont  to  cry  out  with  tears, — "  Hear 
me ;  and  if  the  doctrine  I  preach  be  not  according  to 
the  word  of  God,  stone  me  on  the  spot — make  a  sacri- 
fice of  me,  only  hear  for  yourselves." 

Mr.  Walsh  was  the  first,  after  the  few  efforts  in  the 
early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  already  referred 


MEMOEIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  93 


to,  who  proclaimed,  in  the  Irish  tongue,  the  message 
of  Grod's  mercy  to  perishing  men;  and  it  cannot  be 
thought  surprising  that  such  faithful  preaching  pro- 
duced extraordinary  effects.  Thousands  of  the  Irish 
heard  the  word  with  joy,  and  received  it.  The  most 
affecting  scenes  were  witnessed  during  his  powerful 
and  pathetic  addresses :  crowds  would  throng  around 
him,  cut  to  the  heart,  and  cry  aloud  for  mercy ;  they 
would  weep,  and  agonize,  and  some  of  them  confess 
their  sins  aloud  to  him  before  the  congregation ;  and 
it  was  not  an  unusual  thing  for  persons  alarmed,  and 
deeply  convinced  of  their  guilt  and  danger,  with  peni- 
tential groans  and  tears,  to  cry  for  mercy,  and  cling  to 
the  spot,  until  they  found  rest  to  their  laboring,  heavy- 
laden  souls. 

O  God,  send  prosperity  !  raise  up  and  qualify  such 
men  to  carry  the  tidings  of  salvation  through  our 
country,  until  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place 
shall  be  glad,  and  the  desert  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the 
rose — till  the  dark  places  of  the  earth  shall  be  enlight- 
ened by  thy  truth,  and  the  habitations  of  cruelty  be 
turned  into  the  abodes  of  righteousness  and  peace ! 
On  the  8th  day  of  April,  1759,  in  the  city  of  Dublin, 
Mr.  Walsh  exchanged  mortahty  for  life. 

Scarcely  had  ten  years  elapsed  from  this  event  when 
God  raised  up  another  eminent  Irish  preacher  in  the 
person  of  Mr.  Charles  Graham,  a  native  of  the 
county  of  Sligo,  who,  for  twenty-one  years,  labored 
faitlifully  as  a  local  preacher,  principally  among  the 
native  Irish  of  his  own  county,  and  the  county  of  Lei- 
ti  im.  Mr.  Graham  was  born  in  Tournagrachan,  (tower 
of  tlie  Rocks,)  two  or  three  miles  from  the  town  of 
Sligo.    Of  his  early  years  nothing  has  come  to  my 


94         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


knowledge,  save  that  he  was  proverbial  for  his  fond- 
ness for  daring  exploits  and  scenes  of  amusement ;  and 
being  naturally  of  a  brave,  undaunted  spirit,  he  would 
often  head  the  clan  at  the  large  gathering  and  the  fair. 
No  trace  of  a  serious  kind  is  discoverable  in  his  cha- 
racter until  between  twenty  and  thirty  years  of  age. 
The  first  religious  impressions  made  upon  his  mind 
were  under  an  afflictive  dispensation — the  last  illness 
and  death  of  his  mother.  While  on  her  sick  bed  she 
was  visited  by  some  religious  friends  from  the  town  of 
Sligo,  who  prayed  with  her.  INIr.  Graham  was  greatly 
affected  during  the  time  of  prayer,  and  immediately 
after  inquired, — "  In  what  book  is  that  prayer  to  be 
found  ?"  "  I  did  not  get  it  in  a  book,"  was  the  reply ; 
"  prayer  is  the  gift  of  God."  He  could  not  understand 
this ;  yet  it  impressed  him  with  the  conviction  that 
there  was  something  more  in  religion  than  he  witness- 
ed in  the  state  of  things  around.  Religion  at  that  time 
was  at  a  very  low  ebb  indeed  in  the  neighborhood 
where  he  resided ;  and  becoming  anxious  on  the  sub- 
ject, he  began  to  make  inquiries  respecting  it,  but  found 
no  person  to  satisfy  liis  mind.  lie  was  a  Churchman, 
and  attended  the  service  of  the  church ;  but  received 
nothing  there  to  allay  his  anxieties.  He  thought  he 
would  examine  every  system  within  his  reach  to  ascer- 
tain the  truth ;  and  resolved  even  to  try  whether  Popery 
would  afford  him  any  light.  For  this  purpose  he  took 
hold  of  an  opportunity  by  which  he  was  enabled  to 
hear  the  priest  without  going  to  the  mass-house.  A 
funeral  was  about  to  take  place ;  and  he  thought  this 
a  favorable  occasion  to  seek  for  spiritual  instruction, 
as,  if  he  were  likely  to  get  it  under  any  circumstances, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  95 


it  was  probable  he  would  learn  it  in  the  house  of  death. 
The  body  of  the  deceased  was  not  yet  carried  out  when 
the  priest  addressed  the  people,  and  Mr.  Graham  heard 
for  himself.  The  deceased,  it  appears,  was  a  poor  man, 
who,  by  the  death  of  all  his  cuttle,  had  been  reduced 
to  a  state  of  destitution,  and  was  not  able  to  till  his 
little  farm ;  his  neighbors  recommended  him  to  go  to 
the  priest,  and  solicit  him  to  make  a  collection  for  him 
in  the  chapel,  saying  they  would  contribute  to  it,  that 
he  might  be  enabled  to  purchase  a  horse.  He  applied : 
the  collection  was  made,  amounting  to  five  pounds, 
and  next  day  the  poor  man  waited  on  the  pi-icst ;  but, 
to  his  utter  dismay,  the  priest  answered  his  application 
by  saying,  "  I  made  no  collection  for  you,  it  was  for 
myself  I  made  it."  The  poor  man  laid  hold  on  a  book 
which  lay  on  the  table,  and,  stung  wkli  disappointment 
and  vexation,  swore  that  he  would  never  bow  his  knees 
before  the  priest  again.  The  neighbors  were  greatly 
exasperated ;  but  for  the  poor  man  there  was  no  re- 
dress ;  he  pined  away  under  the  pressure  of  misfortune 
and  wretchedness,  and  eventually  died  of  a  brojcen 
heart.  When  he  was  dying,  his  friends  besought  the 
priest  to  "  administer  to  him  the  last  consolations  of 
reUgion,"  by  anointing  him  ;  but  he  utterly  refused  it. 
Afterward,  however,  he  was  prevailed  on  to  come  to 
the  funeral.  His  address  was  as  follows : — "  This  man's 
soul  is  in  hell,  for  he  did  not  pay  the  rent  of  his  soul 
for  the  last  three  years ;  and  you  will  all  be  damned 
likewse  if  you  do  not  pay  the  rent  of  your  souls  regu- 
larly." When  Mr.  Graham  heard  all  this,  he  turned 
away  with  disgust,  convinced  of  the  absurdity  and 
wickedness  of  a  system  in  which  such  gross  violations 


96  MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


of  common  sense  and  decency  could  be  perpetrated 
Avith  impunity,  and  assured  that  the  truth  was  not 
there  to  be  found. 

About  this  time  he  became  acquainted  with  some 
religious  ])ersons  in  Sligo,  who  directed  his  attention 
more  particularly  to  the  reading  of  the  sacred  records, 
and  through  this  means  his  mind  became  more  and  more 
enlightened ;  but  he  did  not  find  peace.  The  views  of 
those  Christians  with  whom  he  then  associated  were 
Calvinistic,  and  from  them  Mr.  Graham  imbibed  the 
notion  of  particular  redemption,  which  he  entertained 
for  some  time.  He  shortly  after  heard  the  Methodist 
preachers,  and  by  them  was  earnestly  exhorted  to  be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  a  jrresenl  salvation. 
He  heard  with  eagerness  the  word  of  life  from  their 
lips,  and  humbly  and  penitently  sought,  and  soon  found, 
redemption  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  even  the  forgiveness 
of  all  his  sins. 

He  was  soon  led  to  call  sinners  to  repentance,  and, 
having  exercised  his  gifts,  as  already  mentioned,  in  his 
own  and  the  neighboring  county,  with  dihgence  and 
success,  in  the  year  1790  he  was  appointed,  by  ]\Ir. 
Wesley,  to  the  office  of  an  Irish  missionaiy.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham had  enlarged  views  of  the  divine  grace  and 
mercy.  He  boldly  preached  Christ  to  his  benighted 
countiymen  as  an  all-sufficient  Saviour;  declaring  that 
he  made  upon  the  cross  "  a  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient 
sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfiiction,  for  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world;"  while  he  affectionately  and  ardently 
invited  sinners  to  come  unto  him  for  pardon  and  salva- 
tion, beseeching  them  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  The 
field  of  labor  to  which  Mr.  Graham  was  first  appointed 
as  a  missionary  was  the  county  of  Kerry.    Many  souls 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  97 


were  brought  to  God,  as  the  fruit  of  his  pious  exertions, 
and  he  is  still  remembered  in  that  country  with  vene- 
ration and  affection.  His  name  will  again  come  up  in 
conjunction  with  that  of  ISIx.  Ouseley ;  I  shall  therefore 
leave  him  for  the  present,  by  gi^dng  two  or  three  in- 
stances which  will  show  his  mode  of  travehng  and 
preacliing,  and  the  success  which  attended  his  labors  in 
tlioso  earlier  years  of  his  missionary  life. 

Mr.  Graham  opened  his  commission  in  the  streets  of 
^Milltown,  and  found  his  first  lodging  by  asking  a  young 
lad,  as  he  I'ode  into  the  town,  "  Do  you  know  any  one 
in  this  town  that  has  a  Bible,  and  reads  it  ?"  "  0  yes," 
said  the  lad,  "  the  clerk  of  the  church ;"  and  directed 
liim  to  his  house.  He  rode  up  to  the  door,  the  man 
appeared,  and  Mr.  Graham  told  the  object  of  his  visit, 
— that  he  had  been  informed  he  was  accustomed  to 
read  the  Bible,  and  hoped  he  would  have  no  objection 
to  receive  him  into  his  house.  The  man  seemed  utterly 
surprised  and  ashamed.  "  I  read  the  Bible,  sir !  no, 
indeed,  I  never  read  it,  unless  what  I  read  of  it  at 
church  on  Sunday."  The  incident  was  not  without  its 
good  effect  on  the  man's  mind :  "  Come  in,  sir ;  come 
in,  sir,"  he  said ;  "  make  my  house  your  home  while 
you  remain."  From  being  a  character  notorious  for 
wickedness,  he  became  converted  to  God,  and  was  the 
first  fruits  of  Mr.  Graham's  mission  to  Kerry.  The 
new  convert  soon  joined  the  Methodist  society,  his  in- 
fluence became  considerable  in  the  town  and  neighbor- 
hood, and  he  continued  faithful  unto  death.  Milltown, 
after  a  little  time,  became  the  head  of  a  circuit. 

Mr.  Graham  made  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to 
preach  in  the  streets  of  Tralee ;  but,  by  a  curious  cir- 
cumstance, he  in  the  third  attempt  succeeded.  Two 
7 


98        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


men  had  leagued  together  to  assault  Mr.  Graham,  but, 
by  its  unexpected  result,  the  plan  they  adopted  provi- 
dentially put  a  stop,  for  that  time,  to  persecution  in 
Tralee.  One  of  them  took  his  stand  behind  an  old 
•wall,  intending  from  thence  to  stone  the  preacher, 
■while  the  other  stood  near  the  crowd  to  watch  the  ef- 
fect ;  instead  of  injuring  its  intended  object,  however, 
the  very  first  stone  that  was  cast  hit  the  accomplice, 
■who  -was  conveyed  to  the  infirmary,  and  died  soon  after, 
it  is  said,  confessing  his  guilt. 

Numerous  conversions  from  Popery  were  effected  in 
several  places  under  Mr.  Graham's  preaching,  espe- 
cially in  Dingle.  The  two  following  are  instances : — 
The  first  was  a  respectable  Roman  Catholic,  who  acted 
as  purser  in  a  man-of-war,  then  in  Dingle  harbor. 
Wien  Mi\  Graham  reached  Dingle,  this  man's  wife, 
being  a  Protestant,  -went  to  hear  preaching ;  the  -word 
reached  her  heart,  and  she  soon  found  the  "  pearl  of 
great  price."  She  joined  society,  but  found  in  her 
husband  a  most  inveterate  opposer.  He  tried  every 
method  in  liis  power  to  dissuade  her  from  her  attach- 
ment to  this  novel  sect,  till  at  length  he  resorted  to  vio- 
lent measures.  One  night,  following  her  to  the  preach- 
ing-place, -with  a  deadly  weapon  in  his  hand,  in  order 
to  watch  her  coming  out,  he  was  induced  to  make  his 
appearance  in  the  house;  the  people  were  terrified; 
the  lion,  however,  soon  became  a  lamb : 

"He  fell  before  the  cross,  subdued, 
And  felt  the  arrows  dipp'd  in  blood." 

He  soon  obtained  pardon,  renounced  the  en-ors  of 
Rome,  joined  the  infant  society,  and  for  many  years 
adorned  the  doctrine  of  God  his  Saviour.  He  ■was 
ultimately  removed  to  England. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtISELET.  99 


The  other,  a  bigoted  devotee  of  Rome,  named  Roche, 
who  Tvas  also  an  abandoned  dmnkard,  became  a  signal 
instance  of  the  power  of  divine  grace,  under  the  awa- 
kening ministry  of  Mr.  Graham.  This  man  came  to 
mock,  but  remained  to  pray.  Tlic  v/ord  reached  his 
heart;  he  sought  and  found  mercy  through  Christ  Je- 
sus; and,  aUhough  thwarted  by  his  wife,  and  exposed 
to  the  usual  modes  of  persecution,  he  continued  con- 
sistent and  faithful,  and,  it  is  said,  "  finished  his  course 
with  joy."  Many  such,  doubtless,  will  this  devoted 
missionary  have  for  his  crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  day 
of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

■WTiile  treating  of  this  period,  our  attention  is  called 
to  another  part  of  the  land.  In  the  north-west  of  Ire- 
land, about  the  year  1779,  a  ver}-  extraordinary  man 
made  his  appearance  in  the  Methodist  society,  and 
continued  in  connection  ^rith  it  till  his  death — a  period 
of  many  years.  Very  different,  indeed,  was  he  from 
tlic  men  I  have  been  describing ;  but  such  a  phenome- 
non in  the  religious  world  as  to  have  attracted  great 
interest  at  that  time ;  and  such  an  instance  of  the  sav- 
ing influence  of  religion,  and  so  successful  among  his 
countrymen,  as  to  render  him  not  unworthy  of  some 
place  in  a  record  which  is  intended  to  exhibit  the  power 
of  our  holy  Christianity  on  the  native  Irish.  Any  per- 
son acquainted  with  the  history  of  IVIethodism  in  that 
part  of  the  country,  at  the  time  referred  to,  must  have 
learned  something  of  Bartholomew  Campbell,  or  Bart- 
ley,  for  such  was  the  name  by  which  he  was  better 
known.  The  simple  child  of  nature,  "  rough  at  the 
rustic  plough,"  he  who  saw  him  once  was  not  hkely 
soon  to  forget  his  appearance.  Ever>  thing  about  him 
had  an  air  of  strangeness ;  but  his  most  singular  part 


100        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


•was  performed  when  at  any  time  a  visit  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Coke  was  announced.  Mounted  on  his  white 
horse,  taken  from  the  cart  or  the  plough,  his  saddle 
covered  ivith  rough  goalrskin,  he  would  ride  off  to  meet 
the  doctor,  as  county  or  city  oflicials  arc  wont  to  do 
with  judges  of  assize,  and  then  accompany  him  to  seve- 
ral of  the  places  whither  he  was  going ;  nor  could  a 
more  striking  contrast  well  be  conceived  than  that 
which  presented  itself  between  the  doctor  and  his  at- 
tendant. The  visits  of  Dr.  Coke  at  that  time  were 
considered  as  the  visits  of  some  celestial  messenger. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Wesley,  for  more  than  twenty 
years,  he  filled  up  a  place  which  hardly  any  other 
man  could  have  filled.  Every  one  hailed  his  approach  ; 
every  one  loved  him ;  and  thousands  flocked  to  hear 
him  preach.  Bartley,  on  these  occasions,  would  be 
among  the  foremost  in  the  cavalcade.  Some  of  the 
good  friends  were  wont  to  think  that  he  only  encum- 
bered the  doctor  wilh  help ;  yet  the  latter  seemed  as 
much  delighted  to  meet  with  so  wonderful  a  trophy  of 
the  power  of  divine  grace,  as  he  would  be  to  see  one 
of  his  beloved  negro  converts,  in  the  islands  of  the  far 
west. 

In  those  counties  of  Ulster  that  border  on  Con- 
naught,  Bartley  was  well  known,  as  a  remarkable  con- 
vert from  the  Church  of  Rome.  Though  rude  in  speech, 
yet  not  in  knowledge :  retaining  the  rudeness  of  ex- 
terior which  had  belonged  to  his  origin,  yet  as  a  Clu-is- 
lian  he  was  a  diamond  of  the  first  water.  His  own  con- 
version was  as  genuine  as  the  manner  of  it  was  rare ; 
and  his  zeal  for  that  of  his  poor  fellow-countrymen  was 
as  ardent  as  it  was  successful.  Without  any  previous 
intercourse  with  those  who  had  experienced  religion,  or 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  101 


any  knowledge  of  the  volume  of  his  faith,  he  became 
feelingly  alive  to  his  eternal  concerns.  The  Spirit  of 
God,  without  any  external  means,  moved  on  his  be- 
nighted, disordered  spirit,  and  produced  such  a  vivid 
sense  of  his  wretchedness  and  danger  as  to  make 
Bunyan's  well-known  description  of  his  Christian  pil- 
grim (save  that  poor  Bartley  had  no  book  in  his  hand) 
quite  applicable  to  him :  "  AVith  his  face  from  his  own 
house  ;  a  great  burden  on  his  back ;  he  wept  and 
trembled:  and,  not  being  able  longer  to  contain,  he 
broke  out  with  a  lamentable  cry,  saying,  '  "\ATiat  shall 
I  do  ?'  "  His  sorrows  were  deep  and  unabated  ;  and, 
under  a  sense  of  the  divine  displeasure,  his  soul  refused 
to  be  comforted.  He  went  to  his  priest — made  con- 
fession— was  enjoined  penance — repeated  prayers — 
received  absolution  from  the  holy  father;  but  found 
no  rest.  His  distress  increased ;  and,  to  use  his  own 
words,  "  hell  lay  open  before  him."  He  went  to  other 
priests ;  reiterated  liis  confession  and  penances ;  but 
only  became  more  miserable.  He  at  length  meditated 
a  pilgrimage  to  Lough  Derg,  where,  it  is  supposed,  all 
kinds  and  degrees  of  sin  can  be  expiated.  Lough  Derg 
is  a  lake  in  the  county  of  Donegal,  province  of  Ulster; 
and  is  famous  for  the  island  which  contains  what  is 
called  ,SV.  Patrick's  Purgatory.  This  is  a  narrow  Utile 
cell,  hewn  out  of  a  solid  rock,  in  which  a  man  can 
scarcely  stand  upright.  Thither  did  he  repair,  a  dis- 
tance of  forty  Irish  miles.  He  arrived  iit  the  lough, 
and  passed  through  the  customary  routine  ;  went  to 
the  priest,  who  was  always  ready  to  direct  the  pilgrims; 
and,  the  severe  penances  being  prescribed  and  sub- 
mitted to,  he  again  received  absolution.  But,  like  for- 
mer observances,  these  too  were  unavailing ;  his  guilt 


102        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


pressed  still  more  heavily  on  bis  conscience.  He  re- 
turned to  the  priest,  and  made  known  the  disappoint- 
ment and  anguish  of  his  spirit.  "  Did  not  I  give  you 
absolution  ?"  said  the  priest.  "  You  did,  father,"  an- 
swered Bartley.  "  And  do  you  deny  the  authority  of 
the  church  ?"  "  By  no  means,"  was  the  reply ;  "  but 
my  soul  is  in  misery.  What  shall  I  do  ?"  "  Do  !"  said 
the  priest,  "  why,  go  to  bed  and  sleep."  "  Sleep  !" 
exclaimed  the  poor  penitent :  "  no,  father :  perhaps  I 
may  awake  in  hell."  Threatened  with  the  horsewhip, 
poor  Bartley  departed  under  a  load  of  wo ;  and,  seek- 
ing some  retu-ed  spot,  cast  himself  on  the  ground, 
and  in  deep  anguish  of  spirit,  with  groans  and  tears, 
he  cried  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  pleaded  liis 
precious  blood.  In  a  moment  his  distress  was  gone : 
he  received  a  confidence  that  God,  for  Christ's  sake, 
had  pardoned  all  his  sius,  and  the  peace  of  God  over- 
flowed his  soul.  He  returned  to  the  priest,  crying  out 
in  ecstasy,  "  O  father,  I  am  happy  !  I  have  found  the 
ewe .'"  His  ghostly  adviser,  having  neither  lot  nor 
part  in  the  matter,  answered  only  with  execrations, 
and  a  renewed  threat  of  chastisement. 

Before  his  return  from  the  lough,  Bartley  ran  to 
where  a  number  of  persons  were  pci-forming  their 
rounds  of  penance  ;  and,  exhorting  them  to  turn  from 
those  lying  vanities,  and  seek  the  living  and  true  God, 
as  he  had  done,  he  told  them  that  he  had  obtained 
pardon  of  all  liis  sins,  through  the  blood  of  Christ,  and 
that  if  they  would  only  come  to  Christ,  as  he  had  done, 
they  might  also  obtain  what  he  called  the  cure,  and  the 
jewel— terms  by  which  he  ever  after  described  the 
great  blessing  of  forgiveness  of  sins  and  the  love  of 
God.    The  priest,  hearing  that  he  was  disturbing  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  103 


penitents,  hastened  to  the  spot ;  and  poor  Bartley,  to 
save  his  life,  was  obliged  to  fly  from  the  scene  of  su- 
perstition and  impiety.  He  was  well  known  for  many 
years  as  "  The  Pilgrim  of  Lough  Derg  ;"  and  the  un- 
usual manner  of  his  deliverance  from  bondage  was 
talked  of  by  the  religious  with  wonder  and  delight.  I 
have  been  more  circumstantial  on  this  subject  than, 
perhaps,  its  importance  might  be  supposed  to  demand  ; 
but  as  the  description  answers  to  many  other  places 
of  minor  note,  and  exhibits  the  manner  in  which  a 
craft)'  priesthood  trades  on  the  credulity  of  an  unsus- 
pecting people,  I  deemed  it  not  improper  to  place 
somewhat  in  detail  the  sayings  and  doings  of  the  far- 
famed  Lough  Derg. 

Bartley  Camjjbell  returned  to  hia  home  a  "  new 
creature,"  happy  in  God ;  but  so  ignorant  and  inex- 
perienced as  to  be  utterly  unfit  to  guide  his  footsteps. 
He  fondly  thought  that  there  was  some  virtue  in  the 
place  where  he  had  been  made  happy,  and  that  his 
wife  by  going  thither  would  receive  a  like  blessing. 
He  therefore  determined  to  take  her  to  it;  and  a 
scene  ensued  wliich  partook  at  once  of  the  solemn  and 
the  ludicrous.  His  horse  was  yoked  ;  the  bed  brought 
out  and  placed  in  the  cart ;  on  it  were  seated  their  two 
little  cliildren  ;  and  his  reluctant  wife  having  taken  her 
position  beside  them,  Bartley  and  his  family  were  soon 
on  their  way  to  Lough  Derg.  But  his  wife  was  a 
stranger  to  the  kind  of  sorrow  that  had  filled  his  bosom  : 
they  arrived  at  the  scene  of  his  foimer  distress ;  neither 
the  scene,  however,  nor  his  exhortation,  could  put  her 
in  possession  of  the  jewel  he  had  found;  she  went 
■without  feeling  the  disease,  and  she  returned  without 
the  cure. 


104       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Some  time  after  this,  a  priest  in  the  neighborhood, 
who  was  noted  for  his  piety,  became  an  object  of 
interest  with  Bartley  ;  and  to  him  he  related  what  he 
had  passed  through,  and  what  the  Lord  had  done  for 
his  soul.  "His  confessor,"  says  the  lie  v.  Henry  Moore, 
in  whose  Autobiogi-aphy  several  of  the  above  facts  arc 
recorded;  "his  confessor  was  exceedingly  affected, 
and  felt  in  some  degree  like  Latimer  when  Bilney 
confessed  to  him,  while  the  poor  man,  in  his  simple  but 
energetic  manner,  told  him  of  the  cure,  and  the  jewel 
which  was  beyond  all  price.  The  poor  confessor  could 
only  answer  by  tears ;  and,  after  a  few  visits,  he  ac- 
knowledged that  he  had  experienced  a  similar  work 
when  he  was  a  very  young  man,  bvit  confessed  on  his 
part  that  he  had  lost  the  blessing,  and  had  long  walked 
in  darkness.  Campbell  exhorted  him  to  look  for  the 
cure,  and  be  faithful  with  his  flock,  and  tell  them  of  the 
happiness  that  awaited  them  if  they  would  turn  to  God. 
The  priest  was  alarmed ;  and  charged  him  not  to  speak 
a  word  to  the  people  on  that  subject,  for  they  could  not 
bear  it.  '  Father,'  cried  out  the  happy  man,  '  they  will 
all  go  to  hell;  and  you  will  go  thither  with  them  if  you 
hide  the  cure  from  them.  I  will  tell  all  that  I  come 
near  of  the  blessedness;  and  you  will  soon  see  what 
good  will  be  done — only  do  not  oppose  me.'  The  priest 
reiterated  his  admonitions ;  but  Bartley  departed,  fully 
determined  to  speak  and  labor  for  the  Lord. 

"  Soon  after,  the  priest  gave  notice  that  he  would 
celebrate  mass  in  an  old  burial-ground  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, where  there  was  only  the  ruin  of  a  chui'ch — 
no  uncommon  thing  in  Ireland.  Campbell  attended  ; 
and  when  the  priest  had  concluded,  he  stepped  up  to 
him,  and  said, '  Father  you  are  to  christen  a  bairn  [a 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  105 


child]  in  the  village.  Go,  and  leave  the  people  to  me. 
The  dead  souls,  you  see,  are  standing  over  the  dead 
bodies ;  and  I  hope  the  Lord  will  awaken  the  uppermost.' 
'  Take  care  what  you  do,'  said  the  intimidated  priest : 
'  make  no  disturbance,  I  charge  you.'  He  then  de- 
parted ;  and  Bartley  soon  after  began  to  lay  before  the 
staring  multitude  his  own  former  miserable  condition, 
and  the  efibi-ts  he  had  vainly  made  for  deliverance. 
But  when  he  came  to  speak,  from  the  fullness  of  his 
heart,  of  the  cure  and  the  jeicel,  how  Christ  had  blotted 
out  his  sins,  and  given  him  to  enjoy  his  love,  so  that, 
said  he,  '  I  am  happy  all  the  day  long,  and  I  no  more 
fear  to  die  than  to  go  to  sleep,' — the  effect  was  astonish- 
ing. A  general  and  piercing  cry  arose.  Almost  the 
■whole  assembly  fell  upon  their  knees ;  while  some  lay 
prostrate,  groaning  with  deep  anguish.  The  cry  was 
heard  at  the  village ;  and  the  priest  soon  advanced  at 
the  head  of  several  followers.  He  deman(,led  of  Camp- 
bell how  he  dared  thus  to  disturb  his  flock,  but  was 
only  answered  by  vehement  entreaties  not  to  hinder 
the  work  of  God.  '  You  rascal !'  said  the  priest,  '  do 
you  oppose  the  church  ?'  '  No,  father,'  he  replied,  '  I 
have  found  the  church.'  '  You  villain  !'  said  the  priest, 
'  begone  !'  and  struck  him  over  the  head  with  his  horse- 
whip. Poor  Bartley  felt,  as  John  Nelson  said  of  old, 
'  an  old  man's  bone  in  him ;'  and,  hardly  knowing  what 
he  did,  he  gave  the  priest  a  push,  who,  falling  over  a 
grave,  his  heels  flew  up  higher  than  his  head.  A  gene- 
ral insurrection  was  the  consequence,  the  people  think- 
ing he  had  knocked  the  priest  down.  All  were  eager 
to  lay  hands  on  the  culprit.  The  lamentations  for  their 
sins  gave  place  to  fury ;  and  poor  Campbell  was  obliged 
to  fly  for  his  life.    He  escaped  the  vengeance  of  the 


106        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


infuriated  multitude;  but  his  conscience,  which  was 
tender,  received  a  fresh  wound,  and  he  went  mourn- 
ing all  the  day  long,  not  knowing  how  to  recover  his 
happiness,  till  he  almost  lost  all  power.  In  this  state 
he  met  with  some  of  the  Methodists,  who  understood 
his  case,  and  encouraged  him  to  come  again  to  the 
'  fountain  opened  for  sin  and  for  uncleanness.' 

"  He  continued  witli  the  people,  and  fully  recovered 
his  peace,  and  became  useful.  He  had  a  strong  un- 
derstanding, and  great  ardency  of  spirit;  and  as  he 
perfectly  understood  the  Irish  language,  he  became  an 
instrument  of  great  good  to  the  poor  people  of  the 
communion  he  had  left.  When  I  was  stationed  in 
Dublin,  forty  j-ears  ago,  he  walked  from  his  distant 
dwelling,  about  a  hundred  English  mUes,  to  see  me ; 
and  I  rejoiced  for  all  the  good  that  he  had  received 
from  the  Lord,  and  also  for  what  he  was  enabled  to  do 
for  his  good  Master.  He  gave  me  an  account  of  the 
work  in  those  parts  near  the  place  where  he  lived.  I 
admired  the  gi-ace  of  God  which  was  in  him,  consider- 
ing his  uncultivated  mind  ;  and  was  amused  with  some 
of  his  strong  expressions.  He  could  not  be  satisfied 
with  any  meeting  where  there  were  none  convinced 
of  sin,  or  enabled  to  rejoice  in  God,  as  blotting  out 
their  sins;  he  used  to  call  such  a  meeting  a  'sham 
fight.'  So  it  is  that  '  the  Lord  still  chooses  the  foolish 
things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise ;  and  base 
things,  and  things  that  are  not,  to  bring  to  naught 
things  that  are,  that  no  flesh  may  glory  in  his  sight.'  I 
have  not  heard  of  him  for  several  years ;  but  I  ti-ust  to 
meet  him  among  those  '  whose  robes  are  washed  and 
made  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.'" — Life  of 
Henry  Moore. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  107 


The  divine  providence  is,  I  conceive,  strikingly  ex- 
emplified in  tlius  supplying,  in  the  darkest  parts  of  the 
country,  an  instrumentality  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the 
people,  and  continuing  the  "  chain  of  evidence  "  fi-om 
the  early  labors  of  the  Wesleys  down  to  the  close  of 
the  eighteenth  century  ;  but  this  could  not  have  been 
so  distinctly  understood  had  the  above  facts  not  been 
adduced ;  and,  simple  as  are  some  of  them,  they  afford- 
ed eminent  instances  of  the  blessed  effects  of  divine 
truth  and  grace  on  the  native  Irish ;  and,  in  the  order 
of  God,  prepared  the  way  for  a  more  general  and  per- 
manent agency  for  the  regeneration  of  our  country. 

Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  VI. 

state  of  Irelatitl  previous  to  the  appointment  of  Mr.  Ouseley  as  a  missionary — Irish 
rvbcllion  of  1796 — lri;>h  Roman  Catholics  not  seeking  a  true  republic]  but  the  siibjnga- 
tion  of  Ireland  to  a  foreign  pontiff— War  of  extermination  against  Protestants — Atro- 
cities perpetrated  by  tJie  rebels,  led  on  by  their  priests  —Irish  Conference — Dr.  Colte — 
Address  to  the  British  Conference — Afifectin^  description  of  the  Irish  rebellion— Confer, 
encc  of  1799— Appointment  of  the  Irish  mission— Sanctioned  by  the  British  Confer^ 
ence — Labors  of  Messrs.  Graham  and  OuBeley— Success — Letten  to  Dr.  Coke  from.  " 
Mi'ssrs.  Reonick,  Davis,  Brown,  Graham,  and  Ouseley. 

My  De.vr  Friekd, — In  the  year  1799  the  name  of 
Mv.  Gideon  Ouseley  appears,  for  the  first  time,  in  the 
iMinutes  of  Conference,  as  an  Irish  missionary.  Wliile 
tlie  period  chosen  by  the  Wesleyan  Conference  for 
the  commencement  of  a  general  mission  to  the  native 
Irish  manifested  great  wisdom,  the  attempting  to  carry 
out  such  an  arduous  enterprise  required  no  small  de- 
gree of  godly  zeal,  and  of  confidence  in  the  great  Head 
of  the  church. 

I  cannot  with  any  propriety,  I  conceive,  enter  upon 
the  details  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  labors  and  succe.sses  as  an 


108        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


IrisTi  missionary  without  giving  a  brief  sketcli  of  the 
eventful  period  which  preceded  his  appointment  to 
that  important  work,  as  well  as  a  view  of  the  condition 
to  which  the  tragical  scenes  of  those  times  had  reduced 
the  Irish  nation.  The  history  of  our  island  is,  alas ! 
written  in  characters  of  blood ;  but,  reserving  for  an- 
other place  the  distressing  narrative,  I  would  now 
satisfy  myself  with  a  general  description  of  the  state 
of  the  country. 

In  the  year  1 798,  as  is  but  too  well  known,  a  fearful 
and  well-organized  rebellion  broke  out  in  our  unhappy 
country,  which  threatened  the  dismemberment  of  the 
empire,  and,  in  its  course,  was  marked  by  atrocities  as 
foul  as  had  ever  disgraced  any  country  or  times.  The 
revolutionary  mania  of  the  age  had  spread  with  rapidity, 
from  the  year  1795  especially,  until  the  latter  part  of 
1797,  when  the  most  alarming  symptoms  prevailed, 
and  the  whole  social  system  became  deeply  affected. 
The  tendency  to  revolution  among  great  numbers  of 
the  inhabitants  of  Protestant  Ulster  had  long  been  ac- 
knowledged, and  now  it  was  evident  that  it  had  ripened 
into  a  system  of  insurrection.  By  paid  agents,  who 
bore  the  name  of  Protestant,  the  Popish  party  carried 
on  their  negotiations  with  tlic  Protestants  of  Ulster ; 
and,  at  first  concealing  their  real  designs,  they  suc- 
ceeded, to  a  great  extent,  in  effecting  a  union  of  very 
different  parties  for  carrying  out  one  proposed  object. 
Theobald  Wolfe  Tone,  a  Protestant  by  profession,  but 
in  reahty  an  infidel — a  needy  barrister,  though  a  man 
of  considerable  talent — was  retained  for  the  purpose 
of  infecting  the  leading  Protestants,  whi?h  lie,  in  a 
great  measure,  succeeded  in  accomphshing.  The  ob- 
ject at  which  they  aimed  was  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  109 


England ;  and  for  the  achievement  of  this  object  they 
sought  succor  from  France.  The  principles  of  the 
northerns  were  purely  republican,  without  any  dis- 
tinctions of  religion  or  sect ;  hxit — whatever  may  have 
been  the  pi-imai-y  design  of  the  republicans  of  the  day, 
and  of  the  unsuspecting  Protestants  imhappily  frater- 
nized in  their  political  schemes — the  ultimate  object 
of  tlie  Popish  party  was  the  reclaiming  of  Ireland  from 
Great  Britain ;  not  for  the  formation  of  a  true  repub- 
lic, but  for  the  purpose  of  once  more  placing  her  under 
the  domination  of  a  foreign  pontiff';  and  while  the  mis- 
guided Protestants  resorted  to  deeds  of  violence,  that 
tliey  might  secure,  as  they  fondly  conceived,  their 
political  rights,  the  Romanists  designed  and  prosecuted 
a  war  of  extermination  against  their  fellow-countiy- 
men  who  professed  the  Protestant  religion,  and  whom 
they  proscribed  as  heretics,  and  rebels  against  their 
lord  the  pope.  This,  however,  became  so  palpable  by 
the  cold-blooded  massacres  of  Protestants  perpetrated 
in  the  south,  and  by  the  leading  part  which  the  eccle- 
siastics of  the  Romish  Church  took  in  the  hoi-rifying 
scenes,  that  the  northern  rebels,  convinced  of  the 
trcacherj'  of  their  Popish  associates,  detached  them- 
selves from  the  union,  and  ultimately  extinguished  the 
flame  of  rebellion  in  the  north. 

Without  remarking  on  the  veracity  of  the  apologists 
for  rebellion,  who  boldly  affirm  that  a  Protestant 
government,  for  idterior  purposes,  instigated  and 
fomented  the  national  discords  by  which  the  country 
was  brought  to  the  verge  of  destruction — I  shall  only 
say,  that  a  reference  to  well-authenticated  records 
of  the  times  will  convince  the  unprejudiced  inquirer 
that  the  war  was  prosecuted  on  rehgious  grounds  alone ; 


110       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


that  innocent  unoffending  multitudes  were  slaughtered 
in  cold  blood,  for  no  other  reason  than  their  being 
Protestants ;  that  the  rebels  audaciously  avowed  they 
murdered  them  because  they  were  heretics  ;  and  that 
misguided  people  were  led  on  by  their  own  priests, 
animating  them  with  motives  drawn  from  their  re- 
ligion ;  that  they  were  doing  God  service  ;  that  they 
enhanced  their  own  merit  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  their  victims,  and  of  course  would,  as  a  reward, 
insure  their  happiness  in  a  future  world !  Whoever 
reads  the  history  of  the  "  Ii-ish  rebellion,"  written,  in 
some  instances,  by  sufferers  and  eye-witnesses  of  un- 
doubted credit,  and  in  other  instances  by  men  draw- 
ing their  materials  from  unquestionable  sources,  must 
be  awakened  to  the  melancholy  and  astounding  facts 
above  adverted  to.  But,  as  it  is  not  my  intention  to 
swell  this  letter,  by  dwelUng  on  these  hon-ifying  de- 
tails, I  shaU  only  relate  two  or  three  cases,  wliich  were 
communicated  to  myself  by  credible  witnesses,  and 
refer  you  to  other  authorities  on  the  subject.* 

Not  long  since,  visiting  the  town  of  Enniscorthy, 
on  a  missionary  deputation,  I  lodged  at  the  house  of 
Mrs.  Cooper,  whose  father,  Mr.  George  Horneck,  had 
endured  sufferings  almost  incredible  in  the  rebellion. 
No  one  had  informed  me  of  her  character  or  history, 
and  I  was  scarcely  prepared  for  the  scene  which  pre- 
sented itself  When  I  entered  the  parlor,  and  was 
introduced  to  herself  and  her  sister — both  old  gentle- 
women, in  whose  features  were  exhibited  the  lines  of 
deep  and  long-continued  sorrow — turning  to  Mrs. 

■  See  George  Taylor's  History  of  the  Rebellion,  Sir  Richard  Mua- 
grave's  Memoirs,  <tc.,  and  the  Rev.  Matthew  Langtree's  Biojrraphi- 
cal  Narrative. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  Ill 


Cooper,  I  said,  "I  perceive, madam,  that  affliction  has 
found  its  way  to  this  abode."  "  Yes,  sir,"  she  replied, 
"  I  have  long  been  conversant  with  affliction" — enter- 
ing immediately  on  her  heart-rending  narrative  with  an 
expression  of  voice  and  countenance  which  I  cannot 
soon  forget — "  I  was  a  young  wife  and  mother,  at  the 
time  of  the  Irish  rebellion.  My  two  brothers — one  a 
clcrgjinan  of  the  Established  Church,  the  other  a  young 
doctor — were  put  to  death  by  the  rebels:  my  elder 
brother,  the  clergjmian,  was  first  cruelly  murdered  by 
a  rebel  party  ;  they  then  conducted  my  younger  bro- 
ther a  prisoner  to  the  camp  on  Vinegar  Hill;  they 
stripped  him  to  his  shirt,  shot  him,  and  left  him  for 
dead  ;  but,  shortly  after,  perceiving  some  sjTnptoms  of 
life,  they  knocked  him  on  the  head  with  the  butt  end 
of  a  musket.  About  midnight,  however,  he  so  far 
recovered  as  to  creep,  though  in  a  state  of  extreme 
exhaustion,  to  the  river  Slaney.  "\Mien  he  attempted 
to  ford  it,  they  perceived  him  from  the  hill,  and  fired 
on  him ;  he  stripped  oif  his  shirt,  and  spread  it  on  the 
river,  thus  attracting  their  attention,  and,  for  a  time, 
cfTectedhis  escape  to  a  place  of  momentary  safety ;  but 
soon  after  he  was  met  by  a  partj^  of  rebels,  who  com- 
pleted the  work  of  death.  My  husband  was  murdered 
in  the  upper  end  of  that  street" — pointing  to  the  street 
opposite  the  window — "  and  next  day  the  monster  who 
put  him  to  death  paraded  before  my  door,  wearing  my 
dear  husband's  clothes.  Three  months  after  this  I  gave 
liii  th  to  a  girl,  who,  when  she  was  three  years  old,  was 
Imrned  to  death."  Some  things  of  more  recent  occur- 
rence closed  the  mournful  catalogue,  but,  as  they  are 
not  connected  with  the  subject  of  tliis  lettei',  they  need 
not  be  here  mentioned. 


112        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


In  Sir  Richard  Musgrave's  Memoirs  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, he  gives  a  circumstantial  relation  of  the  sufferings 
of  Mr.  George  Horncck,  and  his  family;  including  an 
account  of  the  death  of  his  two  sons,  and  of  his  son-in- 
law,  Mr.  Charles  Cooper. 

Instances  of  suuilar  attrocitics  might  be  multiplied, 
as  perpetrated  under  the  command  of  spiritual  guides, 
who  were  now  become  the  leaders  in  rebellion ;  but 
such  details  are  by  no  means  agreeable  to  me,  and  I 
shall  only  mention  one  more  fact,  wliich  was  communi- 
cated to  me  by  a  credible  eye  and  ear  witness.  Priest 
Kearns  was  a  distinguished  leader  in  the  sanguinary 
scenes  just  described;  and,  in  the  streets  of  Ennis- 
corthy,  giving  the  word  of  command  to  his  flock,  was 
heard  by  my  informant  to  say,  "  Boys,  the  more  here- 
tics you  kill  tlie  less  sin  you  will  have  to  answer  for." 
(See  AppeutU.\  D.) 

The  country  became  a  scene  of  desolation  and  blood ; 
neither  rank,  nor  age,  nor,  sometimes,  even  sex,  gave 
exemption  from  the  barbarities  of  an  infuriated  and 
intolerant  rabble.  On  the  other  hand,  appaUing  was 
the  reaction  produced,  on  the  part  of  the  king's  troops: 
tliousands  became  the  victims  of  their  own  folly  and 
delusion.  Fearful  were  the  results :  the  victorious 
arms  of  the  loy.allsts  and  the  British  soldiery  in  a  short 
time  vanquished  the  infatuated  and  ill-fated  insurgents. 
]^.Iultitudes  of  those  who  had  escaped  the  horrors  of  the 
battle  field,  escaped  only  to  share  a  more  ignominious 
fate.  The  drum-head  court  martial  in  the  valley  pre- 
viously sentenced  the  unhappy  culprits,  and  the  trian- 
gles on  the  adjoining  hills  finished  the  awful  tragedy. 

In  the  midst  of  surrounding  commotion  and  warfare, 
the  Irish  Methodist  preachers,  from  every  part  of  the 


MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


113 


kingdom,  assembled  and  held  their  anuual  conference, 
in  Dublin.  The  sentiments  of  that  body  will  be  best 
understood  from  their  own  Address  to  the  British 
Conference,  July  20th,  1798;  in  which  the  calamities 
of  our  country  at  that  period,  as  well  as  the  perils  to 
which  they  had  themselves  been  exposed,  are  most 
affectingly  described : — 

"  Never  did  we  expect  to  see  so  awful  a  day  as  we 
now  behold !  The  scenes  of  carnage  and  desolation 
which  open  to  onr  view  in  almost  every  part  of  the 
land  are  truly  affecting ;  and  while  we  drop  the  tear 
of  commiseration  over  our  unhappy  country,  and  our 
deluded  countrymen,  in  arms  against  the  best  of  sove- 
reigns, and  the  happiest  constitution  in  the  world,  we 
cannot  help  crying,  '  O  God,  shorten  the  days  of  our 
calamity,  or  no  flesh  can  be  saved  !' 

"  To  attempt  a  description  of  our  deplorable  state 
would  be  vain  indeed.  Suffice  to  say,  that  loss  of  trade, 
breach  of  confidence,  fear  of  assassination,  towns 
burned,  countries  laid  waste,  houses  for  miles  without 
an  inhabitant,  and  the  air  tainted  with  the  stench  of 
thousands  of  putrid  carcasses,  already  cut  off,  form 
some  outUne  of  the  melancholy  picture  of  our  times. 
However,  in  the  midst  of  this  national  confusion,  we, 
and  our  people  in  general,  blessed  be  God,  have  been 
wonderfully  preserved  ;  though  some  of  us  were  impri- 
soned for  weeks  by  the  rebels  ;  exposed  also  to  fire  and 
sword  in  the  heat  of  battle,  and  carried  (surrounded 
by  hundreds  of  pikes)  into  the  enemy's  camp,  and 
plundered  of  almost  every  valuable  ;  yet  we  have  not 
suffered  the  least  injury  in  our  persons  !  And  more- 
over, God,  even  our  own  God,  has  brought  us  through 
all,  to  see  and  embrace  each  other  in  this  favored  city. 


114        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


O  that  the  church  would  therefore  praise  the  Lord  for 
his  goodness,  and  for  the  wondei-s  he  hath  done  for  us, 
the  meanest  of  his  servants !" 

ExtraorcUnary  as  it  may  appear,  the  Methodists  en- 
joyed their  religious  privileges,  as  a  body,  wliile  others 
were  deprived  of  theirs;  and  under  the  eye  of  the 
Irish  government  the  ministers  held  their  annual  meet- 
ing. The  well-known  character  of  the  Methodists 
placed  them  above  suspicion ;  and  the  address  and  in- 
fluence of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Coke  obtained  for  them  this 
liberty.  This  freedom  was  gratefully  acknowledged 
by  those  servants  of  the  Most  High  : — 

"  We  cannot  be  sufliciently  thankfiU  to  God  for  the 
mild  government  under  which  we  live  ;  a  government 
which  shows  us  every  possible  indulgence,  so  that  with 
regard  to  the  use  of  the  means  of  grace  peculiar  to  our 
connection,  we  seem  to  be  in  a  land  of  peace  and  tran- 
quillity. We  enjoy  all  the  instituted  and  jirudential 
ordinances,  while,  in  various  parts,  houses  of  all  deno- 
minations have  been  deserted.  Our  conference  was 
not  only  held  without  molestation,  but  by  permission 
of  his  excellency  the  lord  lieutenant.  Under  God,  we 
owe  this  permission  to  the  exertions  of  our  worthy  pre- 
sident. Dr.  Coke,  who,  upon  hearing  of  our  danger  and 
distress,  flew  on  the  wings  of  love,  from  your  land  of 
safety  and  happiness,  to  partake  of  our  sufferings,  and 
to  help  us  on  our  way  to  heaven." 

Dr.  Coke,  writing  to  Mr.  Asbury  in  America,  says, 
— "  Since  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  I  have  spent 
a  considerable  time  in  Ireland.  You  have  undoubtedly 
heard  of  the  dreadful  rebellion  in  that  country.  I  was 
in  Ireland  at  tlie  height  of  it,  and  was  obhged  to  em- 
ploy much  of  my  time  in  gaining  the  protection  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  115 


interposition  of  the  government  of  that  kingdom  in  be- 
half of  our  suffering  preachers.  And  God  was  pleased 
to  give  me  success,  without  which,  humanly  speaking, 
they  would  not  have  held  their  conference,  nor  could 
many  of  them  have  traveled." 

And  here  let  us  not  omit  to  notice  the  heroic  and 
self-devoting  spirit  evinced  by  these  ministers  of  Christ, 
under  such  trying  circumstances.  Having  lamented 
the  scattering  of  many  societies,  and  blessed  God  for 
the  preservation  and  increase  of  others,  in  their  Ad- 
dress to  the  British  Conference,  they  proceed  to  say : 
— "  Through  grace  we  feel  a  determination  to  urge  on 
our  way,  whatever  may  be  our  lot.  Rather  than  for- 
sake our  charge  for  any  danger  which  may  arise,  God 
being  our  helper,  we  are  resolved  to  die.  From  what 
we  have  felt  and  seen  since  these  troubles  began,  it 
would  be  injustice  not  to  own  that  his  grace  has  been 
sufficient  for  us,  and  that  his  strength  Avas  made  perfect 
in  weakness.  And  he  sdll  graciously  says  to  us,  '  Fear 
not,  for  I  am  with  you ;  be  not  dismayed,  for  I  am  your 
God.'  With  this  promise  we  will  go  forth,  not  being 
in  any  wise  terrified  by  our  adversaries." 

The  reply  of  the  British  Conference  fully  exhibits 
the  kind  and  fraternal  sj-mpathies  with  which  the  Ad- 
dress of  their  Irish  brethren  was  received,  and  which, 
under  God,  helped,  at  this  eventful  and  suffering  pe- 
riod, to  soothe  and  encourage  them  in  their  perilous 
toil.  "  Though,"  say  they,  "  the  common  means  of  in- 
telligence had  made  us  acquainted  with  your  truly 
calamitous  condition  before  wc  received  your  very 
mo\-ing  Address,  yet,  on  its  being  read  in  th'j  confer- 
ence, the  tenderest  compassion  and  most  affectionate 
sympathy  were  excited  in  every  breast.    We  savj,  we 


116        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

felt,  the  difference  of  our  situation!  You  were  in  the 
midst  of  various  perils,  while  we  were,  comparatively, 
resting  in  safety ;  we  were  in  '  a  land  of  peace,'  while 
you  were  exposed  to  '  the  swelling  of  Jordan.' 

"  At  the  same  time,  we  were  constrained  to  magnify 
tlie  grace  of  God  on  your  behalf,  seeing  you  so  won- 
derfully presei*ved  from  all  your  enemies!  Surely, 
those  words  were  eminently  fulfilled  among  you, — 
'  Persecuted,  but  not  forsaken  ;  cast  down,  but  not  de- 
stroyed !'  Not  only  the  good  angels  had  charge  con- 
cerning you,  but,  being  in  extraordinary  trouble,  God 
HIMSELF  was  with  you,  and  kept  you  '  as  the  apple  of 
his  eye  !'  ]\Iay  his  blessed  name  be  praised  for  all  his 
mercies ! 

"Your  conduct,  dear  brethren,  is  worthy  of  the 
highest  degree  of  approbation  and  applause.  You  evi- 
denced your  attachment  to  the  flock  of  Christ,  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  you  overseers,  by 
continuing  to  watch  over  them -and  share  their  lot, 
when  ^;rc//?i^s  would  have  manifested  themselves  to  be 
mcli  by  fleeing  at  the  approach  of  the  wolf  May  the 
same  principles  still  operate,  till  'patience  have  her 
perfect  work !' " 

"  O  brethren,  rejoice  that  the  Head  of  the  church 
hath  thus  honored  yon,  to  suffer  for  his  name's  sake ! 
Go  forward  and  fear  nothing.  '  As  your  daj-s,  so  shall 
your  strength  be.'  And  should  any  of  you  be  called 
to  lay  down  your  lives  in  so  righteous  a  cause,  it  will 
be  dying  like  the  Prince  of  life,  and  the  crown  of  mar- 
tyrdom will  be  your  eternal  reward." 

Rebellion  was  not  fully  put  down  until  the  month 
of  September  following ;  and  at  the  conference  in  1 79>. 
the  plan  was  formed  for  teaching  the  native  Irish 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  117 


through  the  medium  of  their  own  language.  In  their 
Address  to  the  British  Conference,  the  Irish  brethren 
thus  express  their  important  design : — "  With  bleeding 
hearts  we  have  seen  the  melancholy  consequence  of 
our  deluded  countrj-men's  imbibing  the  unprincipled 
views  of  a  blood-thirsty  and  cruel  nation.  But  we  en- 
tertain the  pleasing  hope  that  the  time  of  visitation  to 
that  hitherto  unfoi-tunate  people,  composing  the  ma- 
jority of  our  nation,  is  now  at  hand.  God,  in  his  gra- 
cious pro^'idence,  appears  to  be  opening  a  door  among 
them. 

"  Two  of  our  respectable  brethren,  of  considerable 
stantling  in  our  connection,  have  entered  upon  one  of 
the  most  arduous  undertakings  that  have  been  at- 
tempted since  the  primitive  times  Our  ardent 

prayers  are  presented  to  the  God  of  missionai-ies  for 
the  success  of  these  men,  who  have  made  a  sacrifice  of 
every  social  comfort,  that  they  may  bring  lost  sinners 
to  the  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls." 
!       The  "two  respectable  brethren"  referred  to  were 
•i    James  M'Quigg  and  Charles  Graham,  with  whose 
J    names  is  associated  that  of  Gideon  Ouseley,  then  for 
f,     the  first  time  appearing  on  the  INIinutes  of  Conference. 
|l    The  magnitude  of  the  undertaking  in  a  pecuniary 
j    point  of  view  would  have  deterred  the  conference, 
'    considering  the  reduced  state  of  their  funds,  had  not 
f    the  Rev.  Dr.  Coke,  that  never  to  be  forgotten  friend 
}    of  Ireland,  engaged  to  raise  sufficient  means  for  carry- 
1^   ing  on  the  work.    The  British  Conference  highly  ap- 
j   proved  of  the  plan  thus  commenced,  as  well  as  expressed 
its  solicitude  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  great  ob- 
I]    ject.    "  Your  Irish  mission,"  say  they,  "  is  indeed  an 
'  adventurous  undertaking.   May  the  great  Shepherd 


118         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

and  Bishop  of  our  souls  preserve  those  men  of  God 
■who  have  gone  upon  this  great  enterprise,  and  render 
their  labors  abundantly  successful." 

No  particular  district  was  to  limit  the  labors  of  these 
devoted  men.  They  were,  in  the  largest  and  most 
comprehensive  sense,  Irish  missionaries,  to  can-y  the 
glad  tidings  of  salvation  to  their  deluded  fellow-coun- 
trymen ;  and  while  they  were  without  any  pastoral  or 
circuit  charge,  they  were,  as  evangelists,  to  go  every- 
where, preaching  Christ  and  him  crucified. 

In  the  choice  of  the  agents  who  were  in  the  first  in- 
stance selected  for  the  undertaking,  the  conference 
were  evidently  under  divine  direction.  The  qualifica- 
tions of  Messrs.  Graham  and  Ouseley  for  the  Irish 
work  we  have  already  seen ;  we  shall  soon  see  their 
united  labors  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
land,  and  the  glorious  and  extensive  results  of  their 
holy  toil.  The  name  of  James  M'Quigg  stands  at  the 
head  of  the  list.  He  was  an  eminent  Irish  scholar,  and 
an  able  and  acute  preacher.  His  frame  soon  became 
so  shattered  by  the  labors  of  the  mission  that  he  never 
fully  recovered.  Though,  some  years  afterward,  he 
desisted  from  traveling,  his  talents  as  an  Irish  scholar 
were  for  several  years  usefully  employed  in  editing 
tlie  Irish  Bible,  under  the  direction  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society.  I  have  before  me  a  document, 
furnishing  the  best  evidence  of  the  estimate  which  the 
conmiittee  of  that  society  had  formed  of  the  abilities 
and  labor  of  Mr.  M'Quigg  as  an  Irish  scholar.  "  At  a 
meeting  of  the  committee  of  the  British  and  Foreign 
Bible  Society,  held  September  23d,  1816,  it  was  re- 
solved, upon  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  E.  N.  Thorn- 
ton, that  a  copy  of  Frey's  Hebrew  Bible,  bound  in 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  119 


calf,  be  presented  to  the  Rev.  James  M'Quigg,  who  is 
editing  the  Irish  Bible  for  the  society ;  of  whose  labo- 
rious and  judicious  exertions  Sir.  Thornton  gave  a 
most  satisfactory  account."  The  above  is  an  exact 
copy  of  the  resolution,  extracted  from  the  minutes  of 
tlic  committee.  The  introduction  of  it  in  this  place 
■will  be  excused,  as  it  shows  so  fully  the  competency  of 
the  person  thus  esteemed  for  the  work  of  an  Irish 
missionary. 

j\Ir.  M'Quigg  put  this  important  work  through  Sl 
second  edition,  in  Dublin,  some  time  after,  when  he 
IkkI  an  opportunity  of  collating  the  printed  copies  with 
Bedell's  original  manuscript,  which  is  in  Marsha 
library,  .St.  Patiick's  Cathedral.  He  was,  though  in  a 
\cry  debilitated  state,  about  to  prepare  a  third  and  ste- 
reotyped edition,  when,  in  1831,  death  put  a  period  to 
his  sufferings  and  his  toils. 

The  time  chosen  for  the  commencement  of  the  gene- 
ral Irish  mission,  while  it  evinced  an  ardent  zeal  and 
tender  sympathy  for  those  who  were  perishing  for  lack 
of  knowledge,  showed,  as  already  stated,  the  influence, 
in  no  small  degree,  of  the  "  wisdom  from  above."  The 
tumult  of  rebellion  had  ceased,  and  a  people  who  had 
been  terribly  chastised  by  the  scourge  of  civil  war, 
iiad  time  to  reflect  on  the  miseries  which  they  had 
brought  upon  themselves  and  their  country.  When 
the  land  was  weary  of  hostiUty,  and  sickened  by  the 
sight  of  the  surrounding  desolation,  the  people  were 
not  unwilling  to  hearken  to  the  invitations  of  divine 
mercy  and  peace. 

Indeed,  tlie  Irish  ataU  times,  when  not  terrified  by 
the  denunciations  of  their  clergy,  or  excited  to  preju- 
dice and  hostility  by  their  teaching,  arc  generally  dis- 


120         MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSKLEY. 


posed  to  attend  to  tlie  preaching  of  the  gospel.  "  AVhat 
a  nation  is  this !"  says  !Mr.  Wesley ;  "  every  man,  wo- 
maji,  and  child,  (except  a  few  of  the  great  vulgar,)  not 
only  patiently,  but  gladly,  sufier  the  word  of  exhorta- 
tion." And  now  that  their  intolerant  and  fanatical 
priests,  who  had  deluded  them  to  their  ruin,  had  lost, 
in  some  instances,  their  confidence,  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  their  authority  over  them,  they  joyfully 
heard  words  whereby  they  might  be  saved.  The  lenity 
•with  which  they  had  been  treated  by  a  humane  and 
mild  government  made  its  due  impression ;  nor  was 
the  salutary  fear  inspired  by  a  recollection  of  English 
power  without  its  influence  in  this  respect  Great 
numbers,  too,  who  had  been  impUcated  in  the  rebelhon, 
became  so  horror-struck  by  the  ci-uelties  which,  under 
the  sacred  name  of  religion,  had  been  perpetrated  on 
the  unofi'ending  Protestants,  and  with  the  sanction  of 
their  spiritual  instructors,  that  with  disgust  they  turned 
from  a  religion  whose  history  was  written  in  charac- 
ters of  blood,  voluntarily  united  themselves  to  the  Pro- 
testant church,  and  were  rejoiced  to  hear  the  pure  and 
peaceful  gospel  from  the  lips  of  Irish  missionaries. 
And  many  of  them,  under  the  above  circumstances, 
sought  repose  and  spii-itual  consolation  as  members  of 
the  Methodist  society  ;  so  that,  to  a  great  extent 
through  the  reaction  produced  by  fanaticism,  united 
with  other  causes,  they  were  as  a  people  prepai-ed  for 
the  Lord. 

It  was  at  this  critical  and  notable  period  that  these 
heralds  of  divine  grace  unfurled  the  banner  of  the 
cross,  and  called  upon  all  men  everywhere  to  repent, 
and  turn  with  all  their  hearts  to  God,  through  Christ 
alone,  for  mercy  and  salvation.   The  rocks  and  glens 


MEilOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  ODSELEY.  121 


which  had  reverberated  the  clangor  of  arms  and  the 
cannon's  roar,  now  echoed  the  joyful  sound  of  the  gos- 
pel trumpet;  and  the  streets  which  had  been  deluged 
with  human  blood  were  now  refreshed  wth  streams  of 
the  river  of  the  water  of  life,  while  the  voice  of  the 
gospel  ministers  cried  out  to  surrounding  multitudes, 
"Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters; 
and  he  that  hath  no  money,  come  ye,  buy  and  eat ; 
yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk,  without  money  and 
without  price."  This  is  no  imaginative  description  ;  it 
is  a  true  representation  of  the  scenes  and  of  the  facts 
of  the  ease ;  the  very  places  and  towns  that  had  been 
the  theatres  of  sanguinary  conflict  between  hostile  ar- 
mies were  soon  after  visited  by  the  Irish  missionaries, 
and  there  they  proclaimed  a  free  and  full  salvation  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus;  and  although  they  had 
many  adversaries,  thousands  were  cut  to  the  heart,  and 
cried  out,  "  Sirs,  what  must  we  do  ?"  whom  they  di- 
rected to  Christ  for  present  pardon  and  acceptance ; 

"  And  led  them  to  his  open  side, 
Tlie  sheep  for  wliom  tlieir  Shepherd  died." 

0  that  such  an  agency  could  have  been  extended! 
O  that  the  evangelical  bodies  in  England  and  Ireland 
liad  multiplied  such  instruments  as  would  have  become 
the  •'  messengers  of  the  churches  and  the  glory  of 
Christ !"  but,  alas !  little  was  then  done,  even  by  the 
trLie  friends  of  religion,  to  bring  any  efficient  agency 
into  operation,  adapted  to  the  condition  of  the  country. 
The  means  subsequently  employed  by  the  Irish  Church, 
and  by  other  Christian  societies,  for  the  diffusing  of 
instruction,  had  then  no  existence.  "  The  aggressive 
character  which  essentially  belongs  to  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel  in  spiritual  warfare,  and  which  formed  a 


122        MEMORIAL  OF  CilDEON  OUSELEY. 


necessary  part  of  it,  from  the  time  our  Saviour  first 
issited  his  great  missionary  command,  was  but  little 
understood,  even  until  some  years  of  the  present  cen- 
tury had  elapsed,  when  our  clergy,  as  it  were,  quite 
suddenly  opened  their  eyes  to  perceive  that  the  souls 
of  all  the  inhabitants  of  their  several  parishes  were 
committed  to  their  charge.  And  who,  it  may  be  de- 
manded, required  their  attention  so  much  as  the  Ro- 
manists ?  They,  far  from  being  indifferent  to  religion, 
and  devoutly  bowing  to  the  name  of  Jesus,  were  kept 
in  the  grossest  ignorance  by  their  nominal  pastors,  and 
were  even  taught  to  blend  their  devotions  with  idolatry 
by  those  to  whom  the  Protestants  would  have  exclu- 
sively committed  their  instruction." — Mason's  Life  of 
Bedell. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  Irish  mission  which  is 
under  consideration,  evangelical  systems  have  been  in- 
stituted, and  beneficial  agencies  employed,  by  the  Esta- 
blished Church  and  other  religious  bodies,  for  the 
instruction  of  the  native  Irish ;  but,  whatever  other 
means  may  have  been  resorted  to  of  late  years  by  the 
Irish  Church,  or  by  benevolent  societies  connected 
with  other  evangelical  churches,  for  the  benefit  of  our 
country,  they  must  not  be  supposed  to  supersede  the 
-necessity  of  the  Irish  mission.  There  is  no  other  sys- 
tem in  operation  so  suited  to  the  Irish  people  as  this 
extraordinary  mode  of  publishing  the  gospel.  And  if 
ever  Ireland  be  regenerated,  there  must  arise  a  succes- 
sion of  noble  spirits,  inspired  with  the  zeal  that  glowed 
in  the  bosoms  of  Walsh,  Graham,  and  Ouseley,  not 
merely  to  exercise  an  efficient  ministry  in  a  stated  and 
ordinary  way,  but  to  go  forth  into  the  streets  and  ])ub- 
lie  places,  to  the  fields  and  highways,  to  persuade  siu- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  123 


ners  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  That  Scriptural  schools 
are,  indeed,  of  great  importivncc,  as  incipient  means  of 
instruction,  or  as  auxiliaries  to  the  gospel  ministry,  no 
one  will  deny,  and  they  must  necessarily,  though  gra- 
dually, tend  to  sap  the  foundation  of  the  temple  of 
error  and  idolatry,  so  far  as  they  come  into  operation  ; 
but  how  many  of  the  teeming  milhons  of  Ireland's  sons 
and  daughters  have  been  induced  to  receive  instruction 
in  these  schools  ?  How  many  of  those  whom  we  dis- 
tinguish by  the  peculiar  appellation  of  Irish  attend  on 
the  ministry  of  godly  clergymen  in  their  churches ;  or 
of  other  Protestant  ministci-s  in  their  chapels?  If  they 
do  not  come  to  us,  says  Mr.  Welse)',  we  must  go  to 
them.  And  the  great  Head  of  the  church  utters  his 
command, — "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature."  And  again  he  says,  "  Go 
out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city,  and 
bring  in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed,  and  the 
halt,  and  the  blind."  "  Go  out  into  the  highways  and 
hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that  my  house 
may  be  filled." 

Dr.  Mason,  already  quoted,  states  that  "  Dr.  Samuel 
Madden,  a  celebrated  and  influential  philanthropist,  in 
1 788  warmly  advocated  the  employing  of  a  body  of 
itinerant  clergy  to  i>rcach  to  the  natives  in  Irish and 
that  Dr.  Berkeley,  bishop  of  Cloyne,  recommended  the 
same  measure  as  that  of  Dr.  Madden ;  and  even  in- 
sinuates that,  in  defect  of  able  missionaries,  "  persons 
conversant  in  low  Hfe,  and  speaking  the  Irish  language, 
if  well-instructed  in  the  first  principles  of  religion, 
though,  for  the  rest,  on  a  level  with  the  pa  rish  clerks, 
or  schoolmasters  of  charity  schools,  should  be  sent 
among  the  people."    lu  a  subjoined  note,  Dr.  Mason 


124        MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


illustrates  the  subject  of  teaching  the  Irish  through  the 
medium  of  their  own  language,  by  the  remarkable  suc- 
cess attending  the  preaching  of  the  Methodist  mission- 
ai-ies  of  Mr.  John  Wesley. — Life  of  Bedell. 

The  plan  so  strongly,  though  ineffectually,  recom- 
mended to  their  own  church  by  Drs.  Madden  and 
Berkeley,  was  now  adopted  by  the  Methodist  Confer- 
ence ;  and  highly  gifted  men,  eminently  qualified  for 
the  arduous  work,  were  set  apart,  and  sent  forth  as 
"itinerant  ministers,  to  preach  to  the  native  Irish;" 
men  who  were  not  merely  "  well-instructed  in  the  first 
principles  of  religion,"  but  experiencing  the  deep 
things  of  God;  "full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost;" 
who  fervently  longed  for  the  salvation  of  sinners,  and, 
with  a  vehemence  and  ardor  worthy  of  the  best  and 
purest  ages  of  the  church,  pleaded  with  them  in  their 
own  tongue,  to  turn  from  lying  vanities  to  the  living 
and  true  God ;  men,  of  whom  it  might  have  been  said, 
"  These  apostolic  men,  endued  with  a  strong  and  vigor- 
ous imagination,  know  no  other  success  than  conver- 
sions, and  no  other  applauses  than  tears."  Such  were 
the  fii-st  general  Methodist  missionaries  appointed  to 
travel  throughout  the  kingdom,  to  publish  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy  to  all  people.  The  details  which  follow 
give  evidence  of  the  divine  presence  and  blessing  ac- 
companying them  in  their  various  labors,  so  that  they 
did  "  not  run  in  vain,  neither  labor  in  vain." 

The  success  of  the  Irish  missionaries  was  so  great  as 
to  induce  the  conference  the  next  year  to  add  to  their 
number.  Mr.  James  Bell,  of  whom  some  future  men- 
tion shall  be  made,  was  appointed  with  Mr.  M'Quigg. 
They  and  some  others  traveled  through  the  provinces 
of  Connaught  and  Lcinster.    The  scene,  however,  of 


MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELET.  125 


the  labors  of  Messrs.  Graham  and  Ouseley  became 
most  remarkable  for  the  prosperity  with  -which  the 
word  was  accompanied.  Being  associated  in  their  la- 
bors, it  is  not  easy,  nor  is  it  requisite,  to  speak  of  them 
apart,  during  the  first  years  of  their  travels. 

The  unweai-ied  exertion  and  zeal  of  these  two  men 
were  equaled  only  by  the  unprecedented  effects  which 
attended  their  preaching;  and  which  became  sur- 
l)rising  even  to  those  who  had  been  long  accustomed 
to  witness  the  power  of  the  gospel  in  the  salvation  of 
sinnoi-s.  Men,  who  had  for  many  years  preached  the 
gospel,  stood  amazed  at  the  ceaseless  and  exhausting 
toil  of  Mr.  Graham  and  Mr.  Onseley,  and  the  glorious 
results  which  followed  in  the  conviction  and  conversion 
of  multitudes.  Mr.  James  Kennick,  a  very  excellent 
man,  who  was  then  chaii-man  of  the  Clones  district — 
a  person  of  long  experience,  sound  understanding,  and 
cool  judgment — in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Coke,  dated  July, 
1801,  writes  thus  :— 

"  About  the  latter  end  of  the  month  of  May,  the  two 
Irish  missionaries,  brothers  Graham  and  Ouseley,  met 
me  in  Carrigallen,  [a  fair-town  in  the  county  of  Leitrim, 
province  of  Connaught,]  about  the  borders  of  the 
county,  where  we  had  the  greatest  outpouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  Other  parts  of  the  circuit  they  had  been 
in,  but  had  not  been  here  before.  Brother  Ouseley 
preached,  and  toward  the  conclusion  a  girl  was  con- 
verted. Next  day  (Friday)  they  came  to  Arvagh, 
and  brother  Ouseley  preached  in  the  market  (both  of 
the  missionaries  sitting  on  horseback,  which  is  their 
usual  way)  to  a  great  crowd  of  people,  notwithstanding 
it  rained  heavily  all  the  time.  In  the  evening  brother 
Graham  preached  in  a  field  about  a  mile  from  this; 


126       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


and  good  was  done.  Next  day,  about  two  miles  off, 
we  were  driven  into  the  fields  again.  Here  brother 
Ouseley  preached.  Toward  the  conclusion  the  cry  of 
mourners  broke  out,  and  continued  until  the  clouds  of 
the  night  drove  us  into  a  large  barn,  where  we  re- 
mained a  long  time,  and  many,  I  think,  were  convert- 
ed. But  next  day  surpassed  all.  Being  the  sabbath, 
brother  Graham  preached  again  on  a  hill,  to  many 
hundreds,  when  the  cry  of  mourners  broke  out  again. 
Brother  Ouseley  preached  in  the  evemng  to  a  large 
congregation.  O,  dear  sir,  how  awful  to  hear  persons 
crying  aloud  for  mercy  in  the  open  air;  and  many 
finding  the  pearl  of  great  price  !  I  am  afraid,  sir,  the 
Irish  missionaries  have  ruined  their  constitutions." 

The  late  Thomas  Davis,  writing  to  Dr.  Coke,  about 
tlie  same  time,  expresses  himself  to  this  efiect : — "  Per- 
mit me,  my  dear  sir,  to  say  something  of  the  Irish 
missionai-ies,  Messrs.  Graham  and  Ouseley.  The  mighty 
power  of  God  accompanied  their  word  with  such  demon- 
strative evidence  as  I  have  never  known,  or  indeed 
rarely  heard  of  I  have  been  present  in  fairs  and 
markets  while  these  two  blessed  men  of  God,  with 
burning  zeal  and  apostohc  ardor,  pointed  hundreds 
and  thousands  to  the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world.  And  I  have  seen  the  immediate 
fruit  of  their  labor;  the  aged  and  the  young  falling 
prostrate  in  the  most  public  places  of  concourse,  cut  to 
the  heart,  and  refusing  to  be  comforted  until  they  knew 
Jesus  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection.  1  have  known 
scores  of  these  poor  penitents  to  stand  up  and  -witness 
a  good  confession ;  and,  blessed  be  God,  hundreds  of 
them  now  adorn  the  gospel  of  Christ  Jesus.  These 
two  men  have  been  the  most  indefatigable  in  their  la- 


MEMOIJIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  127 


bore  of  love  to  perishing  sinners  of  any  that  I  have  yet 
kno^ra.  From  four  to  six  hours  they  would  preach, 
exhort,  and  pray ;  and  next  day,  perhaps,  ride  a  joui'- 
uey,  and  encounter  the  same  difficulties.  Thus, — 

'  They  scorn  their  feeble  flesh  to  spare, 
Regardless  of  their  swift  decline.' 

My  dear  sir,  I  am  wanting  both  in  memoiy  and  lan- 
guage to  set  forth  the  wonders  I  have  seen  wrought  by 
the  mightj-  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  "WTien  I  look 
at  the  usefulness  of  these  two  dear  men,  I  am  humbled 
to  the  dust ;  and,  again,  when  I  view  them  with  shat- 
tered frames  and  wrecked  constitutions  stepping  into 
the  grave,  I  am  trulj-  affected." 

Another  testimony,  if  added,  will  not  be  unaccept- 
able to  the  pious  reader.  Mr.  George  Brown,  a  man 
of  eminent  piety  and  sense,  writes  thus : — "  August  4, 
1802.  Two  young  men  had  met  in  order  to  fight  a  duel, 
but  were  prevented  by  means  of  a  wall  falling  on  one 
of  the  spectators,  and  crushing  him  to  death.  Some 
months  after  this  they  were  converted  by  means  of  the 
Irish  missionaries,  and  joined  the  society.  They  now 
walk  in  love  as  dear  comrades  in  the  way  to  Zion,  and 
are  as  zealous  for  God  as  they  had  been  in  almost  all 
manner  of  wickedness.  At  a  prayer  meeting,  which 
tlie  Irish  missionaries  held  in  one  of  our  new  places, 
fifteen  persons  were  converted.  As  I  could  not  neglect 
my  stated  appointment  of  preaching,  I  spent  very  little 
time  with  our  dear  missionaries  last  year.  'Mr.  Ouseley 
was  three  nights  with  us.  In  that  time  twenty-four 
]/frsons,  I  believe,  found  redemption  in  the  blood  of 
the  Lamb,  among  whom  were  two  Roman  Catholics ; 
and  another  was  deeply  convinced ;  he  is  now  con- 


128        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


verted,  and  has  withstood  the  priest  to  his  face.  Two 
more  of  them,  in  the  same  neighborhood,  were  con- 
vinced, and  set  at  liberty  while  my  wife  prayed  with 
them  in  Irish.  [Mi-s.  Brown  was  hei-self  a  convert 
from  the  Church  of  Rome.]  We  must  confess  that 
the  Lord  has  crowned  the  labors  of  the  regular  preach- 
ers in  several  circuits  with  great  success ;  neverthe- 
less, under  his  blessing,  I  cannot  but  attribute  our  late 
extraordinary  revivals  in  the  north  to  the  missionaries. 
They,  sir,  have  provoked  us  to  jealousy,  and  made  us 
ashamed  to  stand  still,  while  they  labored  with  all  their 
powers,  day  and  night.  .  .  .  "We  added  two  hundred 
and  twcnt}--six  to  our  numbers  (on  that  circuit)  last 
year.    All  glory  be  to  God  and  the  Lamb  for  ever !" 

It  will  be  observed,  that  the  above  statements  are 
made  about  a  year  after  the  first  appointment  of  these 
men  to  their  mission.  Dr.  Coke,  having  heard  of  the 
gracious  effects  produced  by  their  instrumentality, 
wrote  to  several  of  the  circuit  preachers  to  furnish  him 
with  some  details  relative  to  the  work  of  God.  The 
above  extracts  are  from  their  replies.  A  letter  of  Mr. 
Graham  to  the  doctor,  in  the  following  March,  will 
afford  some  further  description  of  their  labors : — 

"  The  importance  of  fair  and  market  pi-eaching  never 
appeared  to  us  in  a  stronger  light  than  it  has  of  late ; 
we  can  assure  you,  sir,  we  have  our  friends  among  the 
Catholics.  As  we  came  from  the  conference,  brother 
Ouseley  preached  in  Oldcastlc,  in  the  streets,  where 
there  were  many  Cathohcs;  and  truly  the  Lord  wiis 
present,  and  there  was  a  noise  and  a  shaking,  together 
with  cries  and  tears,  in  the  congregation.  The  Lord 
made  it  a  season  of  great  blessing  to  the  people. 

"  Next  day,  being  the  market  day  of  Ballyjamesduff, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  129 

as  we  passed  through,  brother  Ouseley  went  to  speak 
to  the  market  people,  who  appeared  to  be  like  the  thirsty 
ground  prepared  for  the  falling  rain.  I  was  afraid  to 
b'ust  mj-self,  therefore  I  did  not  go  to  the  market  till  I 
thought  he  stayed  too  long;  and  when  I  came  up,  I  found 
the  poor  Catholics  in  tears,  some  of  them  sitting  on  the 
gi-ound,  wringing  their  hands,  and  crying  for  mercy. 
I  could  not  help  speaking  a  little,  and  praying  with 
them,  indisposed  as  I  was.  We  visited  Cavan  and  its 
neighborhood,  where  a  Catholic  was  converted,  whose 
husband  and  daughter  were  converted  last  year.  A 
schoolmaster  also  came  to  me,  inquiring  what  he  should 
do,  saying,  '  My  jiriest  has  ordered  me  to  stand  in  the 
congregation  for  hearing  you.'  I  said,  '  Will  you  stand 
before  the  congregation  to  give  satisfaction  for  your 
attendance  on  us  ?'  He  replied, '  I  never  will ;  I  have 
never  known  the  priest  to  do  any  good ;  and  I  see  the 
country  round  blessed  by  your  coming  into  it.'  " 

"  Glory  be  to  God,  our  Catholic  converts  are  going 
on  steadily ;  and  I  trust  they  will  prove  a  blessing  in 
their  families  and  among  their  neighbors.  Last  Thurs- 
day brother  Ouseley  preached  in  the  fair  in  this  town, 
and  we  had  a  blessed  hearing.  The  truth,  when  de- 
livered in  public,  bears  down  all  before  it." 

A  few  months  after,  Mr.  Graham  again  writes : — "  I 
know  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  how  we  fared  in  the 
south.  I  had  my  doubts  whether  I  was  adequate  to 
the  undertaking ;  but,  hoping  against  hope,  in  the 
name  and  strength  of  the  Lord  I  set  out,  though  I  had 
Ijeeii  spitting  blood  the  day  before.  All  glory  be  to 
God !  it  was  unto  me  according  to  my  faith ;  for  of 
eighteen  weeks  that  we  were  in  the  south  I  was  not 
confined  to  my  bed  except  five  days,  and  this  was  oc- 
9 


130        MEMOBIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


casioned  by  heavy  colds.   I  doubt  not  but  tbe  Lord 

intends  I  should  open  the  way  through  the  island  be- 
fore he  lays  me  by ;  for  I  see  clearly  this  out-door 
■work  will  hasten  the  downfall  of  Popery.  Glory  be  to 
God  for  what  he  hath  already  done  among  them  !  the 
poor  CathoHcs  !  they  have  got  a  spirit  of  hearing  the 
word.  We  had  a  blessed  prospect  on  our  way  to 
Limerick,  preaching  in  the  streets  and  markets.  Even 
in  places  where  we  might  have  expected  nothing  but 
persecution  we  saw  them  weeping  and  praying  in  the 
open  streets.  The  Lord  was  with  us ;  and  a  great 
work  broke  out  in  the  country  part,  about  Limerick. 
A  mighty  fire  has  been  kindled,  and  continues  burning. 
Some  Catholics  have  fled  from  their  parents,  and  left 
all,  that  they  might  follow  the  Saviour.  We  [Messrs. 
Graham  and  Ouseley]  spent  about  a  month  on  the 
Limerick  circuit ;  and  then  went  to  the  county  of 
Kerry,  where  there  was  an  outpouring  of  the  grace  of 
God  on  all  the  congregations,  and  much  good  was  done. 
We  had  no  opposition,  till  we  came  to  Tralce,  on  the 
sabbath ;  and  here  you  would  have  imagined  that  hell 
was  let  loose.  Though  my  voice  is  pretty  loud,  I  could 
not  be  heard.    Such  shouting  of  men,  women,  and 

children,  I  think  I  never  had  heard  before  We 

got  the  court-house  that  evening,  and  a  guard  of 
soldiers,  and  preached  to  many  hundreds.  Many  of 
the  CathoUcs  saw  clearly  that  their  clergy  designed  to 
keep  them  in  the  dark.  One  of  them  said  to  three 
priests,  in  whose  company  he  was  that  night,  'Your 
people  are  in  the  dark ;  and  so  would  you  have  it.' 

"  From  Kerry  we  went  to  Skibbereen  and  its  neigh- 
borhood, where  many  of  the  poor  Catholics  attended 
preaching.  At  every  meeting  we  had  a  gracious  water- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  131 

ing.  Many  were  awakened  out  of  their  long  sleep ; 
nay,  the  whole  country  appeared  to  be  alarmed.  We 
preached  in  the  market  of  Skibbereen,  and  had  an  at- 
tentive hearing.  Next  day,  being  the  sabbath,  the  poor 
Catholics  flocked  in  hundreds  about  us ;  when  a  priest 
came  up,  riding  furiously  through  the  people,  and 
lashing  with  his  whip  on  every  hand,  like  a  merciless 
tyrant.  The  people  ran  from  him,  and,  the  crowd 
being  great,  were  tumbled  one  over  another.  After  he 
had  dispersed  them,  he  called  them  to  the  chapel,  and 
lectured  them.  A  Catholic  gentleman,  a  magistrate, 
who  met  him,  severely  reprehended  him,  and  said  he 
would  write  to  his  bishop,  and  have  him  discarded. 
This,  I  beUeve,  was  one  of  the  worst  days  the  priests 
ever  beheld ;  for  all  the  people  seemed  to  be  cast  down 
because  of  his  conduct.  We  kept  our  ground,  and 
preached  after  the  hurry  was  over ;  and  not  in  vain. 
Alany  of  the  poor  Catholics  came  to  hear  us,  both  in 
the  street  and  in  the  preaching  house,  and  were  greatly 
broken  down :  some  of  the  poor  creatures  said  they 
would  follow  us  through  the  world.  In  Bantiy  we 
had  a  good  time,  both  in  the  market  and.  on  the  sab- 
bath-day.  AVe  had  no  persecution  here,  but  from  an 
old  woman,  who  made  a  loud  noise  in  the  market,  and 
came  out  also  on  the  sabbath-day;  but  one  of  our 
friends  put  her  to  silence.  I  thought  Satan  was  very 
destitute  of  friends  when  he  had  none  to  bring  forward 
but  this  poor  individual.  The  power  of  the  Lord  fell 
mightily  on  the  people.  A  Catholic  young  woman 
cried  out,  being  no  longer  able  to  restrain  herself." 

While  there  were  many  hostile  to  the  word,  yet 
were  favorable  openings  presented  for  publishing  to 
multitudes  of  ignorant,  lost  sinners,  the  glad  tidings  of 


132        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


great  joy,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ;  and  many 
fell,  powerfully  convinced,  before  the  word,  and  then 
believed,  and  received  it  with  joy,  to  the  salvation  of 
their  souls. 

"  Deep  wounded  by  the  Spirit's  word, 
And  then  by  Gilead's  balm  restored." 

"  In  Brandon,"  continues  ISih:  Graham,  "  we  had  a 

powerful  time.    Mr.   joined  us ;  and  for  six  or 

seven  days  we  labored  in  the  streets,  and  in  and  about 
the  town ;  and  the  Lord  blessed  our  labors.  I  received 
a  letter,  informing  me  that  my  dear  partner  was  djing, 
and  I  was  called  to  hasten  home.  We  took  Kinsale 
and  Cork  on  our  way  home ;  and  sounded  an  alarm  in 
the  streets  and  markets,  which  I  trust  has  awakened 
some  of  the  dead.  We  rode  from  Cork  to  Monaghan 
[the  place  of  Messrs.  Graham  and  Ouseley's  nominal 
residence]  in  five  days  and  a  half,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-six  miles  [Irish,  or  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty-four  English  miles.]  When  I  got  home,  I  found 
my  dear  afflicted  partner  just  recovered  from  the  jaws 
of  death.  And  now  we  are  about  to  set  out  for  Limerick 
and  Cork  again,  as  they  think  we  have  not  given  them 
half  enough  of  our  time.  From  Cork  we  intend  to 
visit  Waterford  and  Youghal,  and  other  places  where 
we  have  not  yet  been,  and  continue  until  June." 

The  fellow-laborers,  Messrs.  Graham  and  Ouseley, 
had  just  I'eturned  from  a  tour  of  eighteen  weeks, 
through  the  south  ;  and  now,  after  a  short  interval  of 
alternate  labor  and  rest,  we  find  them  preparing  for 
another  journey  through  Munster,  which  occupied  at 
least  three  months,  and  which  was  prosecuted  m  the 
same  undeviating  and  faithful  manner.  Brief  as  are 
the  records  of  the  labors  of  the  Irish  missionaries  dur- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  133 


ing  this  period,  they  are  important.  A  very  gracious 
revival  of  religion  took  place  at  this  time  on  the  Water- 
ford  circuit.  The  two  missionaries  visited  it  during 
this  tour :  and  by  preaching  in  the  public  streets,  as 
well  as  by  their  other  ministrations,  greatly  assisted  in 
the  good  work.  IVIr.  Lanktree  -writes : — "  We  had  at 
this  season  a  ^•isit  from  the  Irish  missionaries,  Graham 
and  Ouseley.  I  took  my  stand  with  them,  on  horse- 
back, in  the  street  of  Clonmel.  They  were  violently 
opposed  by  a  rude  mob ;  but  they  preached,  notwith- 
standing, with  fearless  fidelity.  The  champions  for  sin 
procured  a  sort  of  mad  person,  and  set  him  up  to 
preach,  in  derision,  but  he  did  little  harm.  Next  day, 
however,  they  seemed  determined  on  hostility ;  and  at 
the  time  of  preaching  advanced,  blowing  a  horn  to  col- 
lect their  forces.  Some  influential  Quakers  interfered, 
and  frastrated  their  designs  by  applying  to  the  magis- 
trate, and  procuring  his  protection.  On  the  third  day 
we  again  proceeded  to  the  street,  on  horseback.  After 
preaching  commenced,  some  impudent  women  began 
an  attack  with  bitter  and  wicked  words,  who  were 
soon  silenced  by  a  powerful  address  by  ]VIr.  Ouseley. 
The  men  next  advanced,  the  most  forward  of  whom 
stooped  to  procure  stones  or  dirt  to  throw  in  our  faces ; 
but  received  some  smart  chastisement  from  the  soldiers, 
and  were  taken  to  prison.  Another  attack  was  made 
on  them,  when  leaving  town  ;  but  they  received  little 
injury.  Through  the  goodness  of  God,  their  visit 
tended  very  much  to  promote  the  cause  of  truth  at 
Clonmel.  In  Waterford  also,  both  in  pubUc  and  pri- 
vate, their  word  was  with  power." 

Whenever  the  missionaries  appeared,  according  to 
the  testimony  of  eye-witnesses,  the  usual  order  of  their 


134        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


meetings  was  laid  aside.  The  spirit  of  conviction 
seized  the  congregations,  like  as  on  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost :  the  people  were  not  ashamed  to  fall  down  in  the 
streets,  and  cry  aloud  for  mercy.  Sunday  after  Sun- 
day, immediately  at  the  close  of  church  service,  would 
they  take  their  stand  in  the  streets,  and  preach  to  vast 
crowds  of  Protestants  and  Romanists ;  and,  after  re- 
tiring from  the  public  places,  continue  at  their  holy 
toil  till  a  late  hour  at  night.  Such  were  the  gracious 
effects  produced  by  their  visits  to  the  regular  circuits 
that  some  of  the  preachers  wrote  to  Dr.  Coke,  implor- 
ing him  to  use  his  influence  with  Messrs.  Graham  and 
Ouseley,  to  cause  them  to  revisit  the  scenes  of  their 
former  labor ;  evidently  longing  for  such  fruits  as  they 
had  already  witnessed  under  the  ministry  of  the  Irish 
rmssionaries.  Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  Vn. 

A  large  field  of  labor  assigned  the  roiBsionarieB,  suited  to  the  taste  of  Mr.  Ouseley— 
Success  of  street  preaching  in  Enniscorthy — Attempted  persecution  in  Wexford — Ex- 
tract of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Ouseley  to  Dr.  Coke— Ceaseless  and  diversified  labors  of 

Hacketstown — Priest's  threats  of  penance — Bribe  offered  a  young  woman  to  bring  her 
back  to  mass— Such  efforta  vain— Persecution  in  Kilkenny— Mr.  Ouseley  severely 
braised — Escapes  the  mob — Writes  to  the  Roman  Catholic  bishop — Conference 
Address— Mr.  Ouseley  labors  another  year  with  Mr.  Graham— Feels  the  want  of 
■oitable  tracts  for  general  distribution- Complains  to  Dr.  Coke  on  the  subject— His 
letter  manifests  great  acuteness — Commences  another  year's  work  under  hopeful  im- 
pulses—Great numbers  of  Roman  Catholics  hear  the  word  with  increasing  attention- 
Several  join  society — Sketch  of  the  labors  and  success  of  Messrs.  Ouseleyand  Graham 
—Period  of  their  association  in  the  work  closes. 

My  Dear  Friend, — At  the  conference  of  1802,  Mr. 
Ouseley  was  again  appointed  with  Mr.  Graham  to  the 
Irish  mission.  With  the  exception  of  the  county  of 
Clare,  which  was  attached  to  the  Connaught  mission, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  135 


the  field  of  labor  assigned  them  comprehended  the 
provinces  of  Leinster,  Munster,  and  Ulster.  There 
was  nothing  so  suited  the  views  and  taste  of  IVIr.  Ouse- 
ley  as  a  wide  and  unrestricted  range  among  his  country- 
men. The  fii-st  attention  of  the  missionaries  was  this 
year,  howevei-,  directed  to  the  districts  of  countiy  in 
which  rebellion  had  some  time  before  raged  with  vio- 
lence. The  counties  of  Wicklow,  Wexford,  Kildare, 
Cai-low,  and  Kilkenny,  were  successively  visited  by 
them,  where  they  boldly  and  faithfully  preached  the 
gospel  of  the  meek  and  mcrcil'ul  Redeemer,  in  the  very 
streets  which  had  flowed  with  human  blood.  The 
first  visit  which  they  paid  to  the  town  of  Enniscorthy 
was  attended  with  signal  success.  Mounted  on  horses, 
with  their  black  caps  on,  they  proceeded  to  the  princi- 
pal streets :  the  first  hymn  had  a  wondeiful  effect ;  the 
word  fell  powarfully  on  the  crowds  who  heard ;  and 
some  of  the  blessed  fruits  of  that  day's  preaching,  to 
my  knowledge,  continue  to  the  present  time.  They 
seem  to  have  had  no  interruption  in  Enniscorthy,  but 
in  Wexford,  whither  they  proceeded,  and  where  in 
like  manner  they  prosecuted  their  important  work, 
they  met  some  slight  opposition.  TMiile  Mr.  Ouseley 
was  preaching  in  the  latter  town,  in  the  street,  a  man 
who  was  working  on  a  scaffold  pelted  him  with  stones 
and  rubbish.  A  sturdy  person,  who  heard  with  great 
interest,  not  wiUing  to  allow  the  preacher  to  be  inter- 
rupted or  injured,  ran  to  the  ladder  attached  to  the 
scaffold,  and  thi-eatened  to  dash  the  unfortunate  man 
down  if  he  persisted  ;  but  Mr.  Ouseley  interposed,  and 
mildly  said,  ''Let  him  alone,  for  he  knows  not  what  he 
does." 

By  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  Mr.  Ouseley,  writt^a 


136        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 

to  Dr.  Coke,  dated,  Athy,  January  14th,  1803,  :i  judg- 
meflt  may  be  formed  of  their  proceedings  through  the 
year;  of  their  diversified  and  ceaseless  labors;  the 
numerous  places  they  visited ;  the  mode  of  their  minis- 
trations ;  the  perils  they  encountered ;  the  treatment 
they  experienced ;  and  the  gracious  effects  -which  in 
some  instances  followed  their  pious  toils: — 

"  I  know  you  will  be  gratified  at  hearing  from  us. 
We  are  just  setting  out  again,  having  taken  a  little  rest 
after  our  last  tour,  in  which,  I  have  the  happiness  to 
tell  you,  our  God  whom  we  serve  has  been  powerfully 
with  us.  We  preached  through  the  counties  of  Wick- 
low  and  Wexford,  in  most  of  the  towns.  We  preached 
nineteen  times  in  the  streets  of  sixteen  different  towns  ; 
and  in  houses,  both  in  the  towns  and  in  the  country. 
Both  Catholics  and  Protestants  have  heard  us  with  the 
deepest  attention,  and  often  with  flowing  tears.  The 
priests,  however,  exercise  great  authority  over  them  in 
this  country ;  yet  they  heard,  and  allowed  it  to  be  the 
truth  ;  and  wherever  any  of  them  would  fain  make  any 
disturbance  there  were  others  to  keep  them  quiet — 
several  of  them  here  and  there  seemed  to  have  been 
much  awakened. 

"  In  Hacketstovra,  after  mass,  we  went  out  to  the  cross 
with  our  caps  on  us.  I  do  not  know  when  my  knees 
so  trembled  ;  the  street  was  full  of  people  ;  they  made 
way  for  us  through  them ;  and  when  we  stood  to 
preach,  surrounded  us  in  great  crowds.  The  priest 
came  toward  us,  and  the  people  seemed  somewhat 
uneasy  ;  but  he  passed  by  quietly,  and  they  stood  still. 
Surely  many  hearts  seemed  powerfully  to  feel  the 
force  of  divine  truth.  I  had  a  letter  since  from  that 
place,  saying  the  people  greatly  wished  our  return ; 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  137 


and  also,  that  the  priest  is  using  every  art,  by  threaten- 
ings,  penances,  &c.,  to  deter  his  people  from  ever 
hearing  us  again.  I  dispersed  many  little  tracts 
among  them  everywhere. 

"  In  another  little  town  called  Fethard,  county  of 
We.x.ford,  there  were  two  Catholic  maid  servants  where 
we  lodged;  one  of  them  had  taken  a  thought  after 
the  rebellion  not  to  go  to  mass  any  more,  and  so  went 
to  church  for  a  good  whUe;  but  when  her  friends 
found  it  out,  after  using  many  ways,  but  in  vain,  to 
prevent  her,  they  at  last,  by  some  art,  got  her  to  where 
tlioy  had  a  priest;  after  much  counsel,  etc.,  he  gave 
her  three  guineas,  which  they  had  given  him  in  order 
to  get  her  back  to  the  mass  ;  so  they  for  that  time  pre- 
vailed. AYhen  I  went  down  to  the  kitchen,  as  I  gene- 
rally do,  I  began  to  speak  to  her,  and  she  burst  into 
tears,  as  did  the  other  girl  also,  who  was  very  bigoted 
before.  Next  morning,  at  prayer,  they  both  wept  very 
much ;  and  the  bigoted  one  was  so  aff(;cted  that  we 
had  to  pray  again  with  her.  Afterward  I  went  up 
stairs,  and  overheard  the  two  girls  talking  to  each 
other — one  advising  the  other  to  break  off  at  once 
from  the  mass,  and  telling  each  other  how  their  hearts 
were  penetrated.  One  of  the  two — the  one  that  was 
bought  off  before — came  after  us  four  miles  that  night 
to  preaching,  and  wept  all  the  time.  I  know  not  how 
things  have  gone  since,  but  hope  the  Lord  will  water 
the  seed.  Another  Catholic,  in  another  part,  joined 
the  societj',  and  is  holding  on  her  way.  I  hope  many 
more  have  received  the  seed  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  we 
had  not  time  to  wait  and  see. 

"  We  preached  in  the  midst  of  the  streets  of  Wex- 
ford ;  the  people  were  awed  into  the  most  uncommon 


140       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 

He  had,  as  occasion  required,  written  a  letter  to  a 
priest  or  bishop  of  the  Church  of  Rome ;  but  it  does 
not  appear  that  he  had  yet  published  any  tracts,  either 
controversial  or  otherwise,  such  as  afterward  issued 
from  his  pen.  Indeed,  his  incessant  and  anxious  work 
as  a  traveling  missionary  left  no  leisure  for  anything 
of  this  kind.  He,  however,  happily  conceived  the  cha- 
racter of  the  brief  works  which  would  be  best  adapted 
to  the  moral  condition  of  the  people.  He  had  agiiin 
and  again,  in  former  communications  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Coke,  pressed  him  for  a  supply  of  tracts ;  and,  in  a 
letter,  dated,  Dublin,  August  1,  1804,  he  points  out 
the  necessity  of  this  means  of  instruction ;  suggests  the 
description  of  tracts  which  were  suited  to  the  wants, 
and  even  prejudices,  of  the  Irish ;  and  strongly  and 
warmly  requests  a  supply  for  the  purpose  : — "  I  would 
greatly  wish  that  a  number  of  well-chosen,  dispassionate 
little  tracts,  were  sent  to  us ;  calculated  by  no  means  to 
irritate,  but  to  carry  conviction  to  the  heart,  and  gently 
to  remove  error  in  a  way  of  plain  reasoning.  I  think 
Tillotson's  Sermon  on  Transubstantiation  would  be 
very  useful,  if  carefully  perused  and  abridged,  leaving 
out  every  word  that  savored  of  ill-nature,  ridicule,  or 
contempt,  &c.  I  do  think  it  would  greatly  add  to  it, 
and  render  it  still  more  useful,  if,  in  the  foregoing  part 
of  the  same,  the  sinner's  state  and  danger  by  nature 
and  practice  be  laid  down  in  as  small  a  compass  as 
possible,  together  with  the  only  way  of  his  recovery, 
and  the  steps  to  this — salvation,  repentance,  faith  in 
the  Lord  our  Redeemer,  and  holiness  of  heart  and 
life ;  and  to  have  these  truths  substantiated,  not  only 
by  Scripture  authority,  in  a  few  words,  but  also  by  a 
few  quotations  from  some  of  the  eminent  fathers,  and 


MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  141 


Other  Popish,  Protestant,  Calvinist,  or  dissenting  di- 
vines.   I  am  sure  an  attempt  of  this  kind  would  be 
grateful  to  our  God,  and  perhaps  of  everlasting  profit 
to  numbei-s ;  and  I  need  not  say  how  jo\-fully  I  would 
do  my  part  to  spread  them  along.    I  also  think  Mr. 
Weslej's  Popery  Caludy  Considered,  revised,  and 
freed  of  some  poignant  expressions,  would  do  good, 
if  sold  by  our  preachers  through  the  kingdom.  I 
would  gladly  spread  a  tract  on  the  necessity  of  read- 
ing and  knowing  the  Scriptures,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
knowledge  of  the  di\-iue  mind,  &c. ;  with  some  few 
strong  dispassionate  arguments  for  its  authenticity; 
and  some  authority  from  the  fathers,  so  called,  to  urge 
the  reading  of  this  blessed  book  :  I  am  almost  sure  it 
would  be  very  profitable,  and  would  make  way  for  the 
'     spreading  of  Bibles  and  Testaments.    Maj-  our  God 
stir  up  many  to  exert  their  talents  in  helping  to  di&- 
1     peree  the  gross  and  general  darkness  that  has  so  long 
■     overspreatl  the  nations,  and  particularly  our  poor  L-e- 
\l     land !    We  have  to  praise  his  holy  name  for  those  on 
I     each  side  the  water,  but  especially  on  that  who  are  al- 
ji     ready  moved  toward  this  glorious  work." 
l|        Mr.  Ouselcy  commences  this  year  under  hopeful 
1     impulses,  and  determines  to  visit  those  places  where 
success  had  crowned  then-  efforts  the  preceding  year. 
He  says, — "  We  have  delayed  a  few  days  longer  than 
we  expected.    We  mean  to  set  out  for  our  destination 
to-morrow ;  to  Wicklow  and  AVexford  first.  Brother 
Graham  is  blessedly  recovered.    I  hope  we  sh;ill  have 
a  good  year.  This  morning,  before  I  awoke,  I  dreamed 
I  was  preaching  and  weeping  over  poor  sinners ;  I 
have  often  found  it  so  these  five  years  past,  when  a 
work  of  God  was  about  to  take  place.    I  hope  our 


140       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


He  had,  as  occasion  required,  written  a  letter  to  a 
priest  or  bisliop  of  the  Church  of  Rome ;  but  it  does 
not  appear  that  he  had  yet  published  any  tracts,  either 
controversial  or  otherwise,  such  as  afterward  issued 
from  his  pen.  Indeed,  his  incessant  and  anxious  work 
as  a  traveling  missionary  left  no  leisure  for  anything 
of  this  kind.  He,  however,  happily  conceived  the  cha- 
racter of  the  brief  works  which  would  be  best  adapted 
to  the  moral  condition  of  the  people.  He  had  again 
and  again,  in  former  communications  to  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Coke,  pressed  him  for  a  supply  of  tracts;  and,  in  a 
letter,  dated,  Dublin,  August  1,  1804,  he  points  out 
the  necessity  of  this  means  of  instruction  ;  suggests  the 
description  of  tracts  which  were  suited  to  the  wants, 
and  even  prejudices,  of  the  Irish;  and  strongly  and 
warmly  requests  a  supply  for  the  purpose  : — "  I  would 
greatly  wish  that  a  number  of  well-chosen,  dispassionate 
little  tracts,  were  sent  to  us ;  calculated  by  no  means  to 
irritate,  but  to  carry  conviction  to  the  heart,  and  gently 
to  remove  error  in  a  way  of  plain  reasoning.  I  think 
Tillotson's  Sermon  on  Transubstantiation  would  be 
very  useful,  if  carefully  perused  and  abridged,  leaving 
out  every  word  that  savored  of  ill-nature,  ridicule,  or 
contempt,  &c.  I  do  think  it  would  greatly  add  to  it, 
and  render  it  still  more  useful,  if,  in  the  foregoing  part 
of  the  same,  the  sinner's  state  and  danger  by  nature 
and  practice  be  laid  down  in  as  small  a  compass  as 
possible,  together  with  the  only  way  of  his  recovery, 
and  the  steps  to  this— salvation,  repentance,  faith  in 
the  Lord  our  Redeemer,  and  holiness  of  heart  and 
life;  and  to  have  these  truths  substantiated,  not  only 
by  Scripture  authority,  in  a  few  words,  but  also  by  a 
few  quotations  from  some  of  the  eminent  fathers,  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  141 


Other  Popish,  Protestant,  Calvinist,  or  dissenting  di- 
vines. I  am  sure  an  attempt  of  this  kind  would  be 
grateful  to  our  God,  and  perhaps  of  everlasting  profit 
to  nunibei-s ;  and  I  need  not  say  how  joj'tully  I  would 
do  my  part  to  spread  them  along.  I  also  think  Mr. 
Wesley's  Popery  Calmly  Considered,  revised,  and 
freed  of  some  poignant  expressions,  would  do  good, 
if  sold  by  our  preachers  through  the  kingdom.  I 
would  gladly  spread  a  tract  on  the  necessity  of  read- 
ing and  knowing  the  Scriptures,  in  order  to  obtain  a 
knowledge  of  the  divine  mind,  &c. ;  with  some  few 
strong  dispassionate  arguments  for  its  authenticity; 
and  some  authority  from  the  fathers,  so  called,  to  urge 
the  reading  of  this  blessed  book  :  I  am  almost  sure  it 
would  be  veiy  profitable,  and  would  make  way  for  the 
spreading  of  Bibles  and  Testaments.  May  our  God 
stir  up  many  to  exert  their  talents  in  helping  to  dis- 
pei"se  the  gross  and  general  darkness  that  has  so  long 
overspreatl  the  nations,  and  particularly  our  poor  L-e- 
land !  We  have  to  praise  his  holy  name  for  those  on 
each  side  the  water,  but  especially  on  that  who  are  al- 
ready moved  toward  this  glorious  work." 

Mr.  Ouscley  commences  this  year  under  hopeful 
impulses,  and  determines  to  visit  those  places  where 
success  had  crowned  their  efforts  the  preceding  year. 
He  says, — "  We  have  delayed  a  few  days  longer  than 
we  expected.  We  mean  to  set  out  for  our  destination 
to-morrow ;  to  Wicklow  and  AVexford  first.  Brother 
Graham  is  blessedly  recovered.  I  hope  we  shall  have 
a  good  year.  This  morning,  before  I  awoke,  I  dreamed 
I  was  preaching  and  weeping  over  poor  sinners;  I 
have  often  found  it  so  these  five  years  past,  when  a 
work  of  God  was  about  to  take  place.    I  hope  our 


142       MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 

dear  friends  and  brethren  -will,  as  I  believe  they  do, 
continue  to  help  us  with  their  constant  prayers.  I 
heard  of  a  few  Catholics  over  here  that  were  stiri-ed 
up  to  read  the  Bible ;  I  hope  the  little  hand  will  yet 
become  a  great  cloud.  A  few  days  ago  I  was  talking 
to  a  lady  from  the  county  of  Kerry,  a  part  that  we  only 
visited  once,  and  that  about  two  and  a  half  years  since; 
she  told  me  of  two  Catholics  near  the  little  village  she 
lived  in  who  had  turned  from  Popery  when  we  were 
there  :  one  a  poor  man  ;  he  is  happy  in  God,  and  bears 
up  against  a  flood  of  persecution  ;  the  other,  a  gentle- 
man, who  is  now  a  constant  Churchman,  though  not 
so  pious  as  the  poor  man.  I  hope  many  here  and 
there,  that  we  know  nothing  of  now,  will  yet  appear ; 
and  many,  many  in  the  day  of  the  Lord.  I  hope  to 
meet  yours  in  Enniscorthy.  By  a  letter  from  Ross, 
received  two  days  ago,  I  learn  that  some,  who  wei"e 
awakened  when  we  were  there,  have  joined  the  so- 
ciety, and  are  appearing  to  do  well." 

After  visiting  the  counties  of  Wicklow  and  "Wexford, 
they  proceeded  to  Carlow,  Kilkenny,  &c.,  where  they 
were  favored  with  a  very  different  reception  from  that 
which  has  been  already  mentioned  by  Mr.  Ouselcy. 
Now  both  clergy  and  laity,  to  their  honor,  hailed  the 
visit  of  God's  servants.    Mr.  Lanktree  observes : — 

"  We  were  now  visited  by  the  Irish  missionaries, 
Graham'  and  Ouseley.  Their  preaching  in  the  col- 
liery was  attended  with  the  power  of  God,  and  pre- 
judice and  opposition  were  borne  down  by  the  influence 
of  truth  and  love.  In  Carlow,  while  they  preached  in 
the  street  and  chapel,  the  word  of  life  was  blessedly 
triumphant.  After  I  had  read  and  explained  the  rules 
of  our  society,  and  invited  those  who  were  convinced 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  143 


of  sin  to  meet  on  trial,  twenty  persons  gave  in  their 
names  for  that  purjwse.  In  Kilkenny,  where  the  mis- 
sionaries were  formerly  ill-treated,  they  were  now 
honored. 

"  The  first  person  who  attempted  disturbance  was 
ordered  into  confinement  by  IMr.  Edmuns,  the  mayor. 
The  pious  clergy  and  church  people  magnified  the 
grace  of  God  in  his  servants,  who  preached  in  public 
and  private,  enjoying  the  most  ample  protection,  while 
'  the  word  of  the  Lord  had  free  course,  and  was  glo- 
rified.' After  their  departure,  a  vestry  meeting  was 
held  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  where  a  vote  of  thanks  was 
voted  to  the  mayor,  which  was  afterward  published  in 
the  newspapers,  for  his  manly  and  Christian  conduct  on 
that  occasion." 

They  labored  on  through  this  year,  and  were  gra- 
ciously acknowledged  in  every  place.  Some  of  the 
circuits  were  peculiarly  visited  by  the  power  and  pre- 
sence of  God  ;  and  the  regular  preachers  rejoiced  to 
recognize  the  hand  of  the  Lord  accompanjing  his 
honored  servants  in  their  evangelical  and  arduous  toil. 
In  the  month  of  May,  1805,  they  paid  another  visit  to 
that  country,  "  when  several  members  were  added  to 
the  society."  Mr.  Ouseley,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Entwisle, 
(with  whom,  in  the  absence  of  Dr.  Coke,  he  corres- 
ponded,) gives  a  brief  statement  how  the  work  suc- 
ceeded that  year.  This  letter  was  accompanied  with 
an  account  of  expenses,  in  Mr.  Ouseley's  hand-writing, 
with  a  characteristic  heading,  which,  though  small  in 
itself,  I  cannot  suppress ;  and,  as  it  gives  indications  of 
the  deep  impression  on  his  mind  of  his  peculiar  call,  I 
conceive  it  not  unworthy  of  notice  :  "  A  list  of  expen- 
ses, from  the  last  conference,  in  July,  1804,  to  the  18th 


144 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


of  May,  1805,  as  incurred  by  Gideon  Ouseley,  minister 
of  the  gospel  to  tbe  Irish  Catholics."  The  whole  letter 
— an  extract  from  which  I  give — -while  it  expresses  the 
utmost  abhorrence  and  disgust  for  the  dire  sj^stem  by 
which  the  dupes  of  Popery  were  deluded,  breathes 
naught  but  kindness  for  those  who  were  enslaved,  and 
joy  at  another  and  another  being  rescued  from  the 
foul  bondage. 

"  We  have  returned,"  saj  s  Mr.  Ouseley,  "  from  the 
country,  to  rest  a  Uttle.  We  had  much  preaching  in 
the  streets  these  five  weeks  past.  This  is  a  fine  time  to 
be  preaching  among  the  Roman  Catholics;  they  are 
still  increasing  in  numbers,  and  in  apparent  good-will, 
to  hear  us.  I  have  had  a  letter  from  a  town  I  had 
been  in,  and  one  from  another  little  village.  That 
from  the  former  says  the  society  increased  ten  or  twelve 
after  I  left  them ;  six  of  whom  were  Romanists.  In 
the  latter  place,  thirty  had  joined  the  morning  I  left  it : 
two  were  Romanists.  The  letter  from  it  says  there 
is  a  great  revival,  and  they  are  doing  well.  In  another 
town,  Carrick  on  Shannon,  county  of  Leitrim,  tv/entj'- 
one  joined  the  last  morning  I  preached  there.  Brother 
Graham  was  then  in  Boyle.  In  short,  I  can  truly  say, 
the  Lord  was  with  us  in  all  the  towns,  streets,  and 
markets ;  and  do  hope  that  much  good  is  done.  I 
thank  you  for  your  letter.  Please  tell  Mr.  Butter- 
worth  I  received  his  letter,  &c.  I  wrote  twice  to  the 
doctor ;  but  perhaps  he  was  so  hurried  as  not  to  have 
time  to  answer  it;  or,  if  he  wrote,  I  did  not  get  it. 
When  I  came  home,  I  was  quite  exhausted :  have  been 
a  little  afflicted,  too.  We  are  now  recovered  much, 
thanks  to  our  God !  and  intend  to  go  out  next  week 
again." 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  145 


We  have  hitherto  seen  the  associated  labors  of 
Messrs.  Ouseley  and  Graham.  For  six  years  did  they 
faithfully  and  incessantly  pursue  their  toilsome,  perilous, 
and  prosperous  course.  The  whole  of  the  kingdom, 
east  and  west,  nortli  and  south,  witnessed  their  zeal, 
and  rejoiced  in  the  fruit  which  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  vouchsafed  to  their  ministrations. 

The  preaching  of  these  faithful  men  was  attended 
with  like  gracious  results  in  every  place.  In  many 
instances  the  Romish  clergy  themselves  mixed  with 
the  listening  multitudes,  and  heard  in  silent  wonder 
the  word  of  the  Lord ;  and  when  any  of  them  inter- 
posed, as  they  sometimes  did,  to  excite  a  lawless  mul- 
titude against  God's  sei'vants,  and  to  disperse  their 
congregations,  though  they  occasionally  succeeded  in 
their  designs,  yet  frequently  vain  and  impotent  were 
their  efforts  to  prevent  tlieir  flocks  from  hearing  the 
tinth,  when  preached  to  them  in  the  streets,  in  their 
own  loved  language.  Not  all  their  influence — though 
invested  with  the  imposing  robes  of  their  order,  claim- 
ing the  authority  which  infallibility  and  antiquity  con- 
fer, with  the  power  to  shut  and  open  heaven — could 
prevent  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  from  hearing 
the  unadulterated  go.^pcl  from  the  lips  of  the  Irish  mis- 
sionaries. And  thus  these  indefatigable  men  went  on 
in  their  hallowed  work,  receiving  daily  new  evidences 
of  the  validity  of  their  call,  and  encouraged  by  cheer- 
ing indications  of  the  presence  of  their  divine  ]\Iaster, 
in  the  protection  of  their  persons  by  his  providence, 
and  the  power  of  his  Spirit  in  awakening  and  convert- 
ing sinners  by  their  ministry.  For  several  successive 
months,  as  may  be  perceived,  did  they  deny  themselves 
all  the  comforts  of  home;  exposed  to  the  rigors  of 
10 


146        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


winter  and  the  heats  of  summer ;  subjected  to  numerous 
pri-vations  and  hardships,  and  liable  to  indescribable 
persecutions  and  perils.  And  such  were  their  travels 
and  preaching — in  the  markets  and  fairs  by  day  ;  and 
in  chapels,  preaching  houses,  court  houses,  and  barns, 
by  night ;  and  frequently  in  the  open  fields,  until  the 
shades  of  evening — that  their  brethren  deemed  it  im- 
possible they  could  long  exist ;  that  they  must,  under 
such  wasting  and  incessant  exertions,  become  victims 
to  their  godly  zeal.  "With  little  variation,  the  tender 
address  to  the  Trojan  hero  might  have  been  adopted 
with  regard  to  these  servants  of  God  : 

"For  sure  such  labor  length  of  life  denies  ; 
And  ye  must  fall,  your  virtue's  sacrifice." 

But  God  saw  far  otherwise  :  "  For  my  thoughts  are  not 
your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  my  ways,  saith 
the  Lord."  The  great  Head  of  the  church,  who  had 
by  his  good  Spirit  inspired  them  with  an  intense 
ardor  for  his  glory,  and  for  the  salvation  of  man, 
had  also  blessed  them  with  a  strength  of  constitution  to 
endure  varied  and  increasing  toils  through  future  times 
— Mr.  Graham  for  nearly  twenty,  and  Mr.  Ouseley, 
in  labors  more  abundant,  for  a  period  of  nearly  forty 
years.  The  conference  deemed  it  expedient,  for  the 
purpose  of  more  effectually  extending  the  work,  to 
divide  these  men,  and  unite  each  in  his  appointment 
with  a  missionary  who  could  only  preach  in  the  English 
language.  By  tliis  judicious  arrangement,  the  united 
brothers  in  the  ministry,  who  had  become  attached  to 
one  another  by  a  thousand  tender  and  endearing  re- 
miniscenses,  are  destined  to  separate  ;  and  must  now 
move  and  act  in  different  spheres  in  the  same  great 
and  glorious  enterprise.  Yours,  &c. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  147 


LETTER  Vin. 

Mr.  Onseley'a  nppointnicnt— Mr.  WillhmHaniilton— Slate  of  religion  In  tho  metropolla 
— Miaaionary  progress— Persecution  at  Carlow — Narrowly  escapes  with  bis  life- 
Priestly  oppression— Missionary  exertions  not  conflneci  to  Roman  Catholics — Mr. 
Ouseley  appeals  for  tracts— Instance  of  his  mode  of  preaching— Scene  at  Droffheda — 
Encouraging  openings  in  Carlow,  Kilkenny,  &c.— Mr.  Ouseley  in  his  native  province 
—Occurrences  there— Sligo — Successful  operations  there— Address  of  the  conference- 
Brief  sketch  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  mode  of  working— Interesdng  incident— Mr.  Ouseley's 
Tisit  to  a  nobleman— Preaching  to  the  Thresbcrs — Convereions  from  Komanlsm— Great 
meeting  in  the  village  church  of  Easky. 

My  Dear  Friknd, — Mr.  Ouseley  was  next  appointed 
■with  Mr.  William  Hamilton,  who  was  a  faithful  man, 
well  adapted  to  the  place  which  he  had  to  fill  as  a 
minister  in  the  church  of  Christ.  Hi.s  gifts  were  of  a 
peculiar  order,  not  easily  delineated.  He  was  simple, 
yet  ingenious  :  though  cool  and  imperturbable  himself, 
yet  possessing  great  power  over  the  passions  ;  so  that 
while  enunciating  truth  in  the  most  artless  strain  he 
would  produce  surprising  effect  on  his  audience,  either 
in  warning  them  against  the  dangerous  consequences 
of  sin,  or  winning  them  to  the  glorious  end  of  gospel 
holiness.  As  a  scribe  instructed  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  he  brought  forth  out  of  his  treasure  things  new 
and  old.  He  wa-s  apt  to  teach  ;  patient,  zealous,  and 
persevering.  Ilis  discourses  were  attractive  and  edi- 
fying, and  characterized  by  originality  of  thought ;  and 
his  illustrations,  though  sometimes  quaint,  seldom  failed 
to  fix  attention,  and  leave  a  lasting  impression  on  the 
memory  and  the  heart.  You  will  have  an  opportunity 
of  forming  a  notion  of  his  style  and  character  by  two 
or  three  brief  extracts  from  his  letters,  which  shall  by 
and  by  appear.  Such  was  the  man  who  was  to  supply 
the  place  of  Charles  Graham  in  connection  with  Mr. 


148       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELEY. 


Ouseley ;  and  we  shall  soon  see  the  wisdom  of  Provi- 
dence in  the  appointment.  ♦ 

From  the  details  which  have  been  made,  and  the 
progress  of  the  mission  in  which  Mr.  Ouseley  was  en- 
gaged, you  might  naturally  suppose  that  considerable 
eflects  were  produced  juuong  all  classes  in  the  religious 
world.  In  some  instances  this  was  the  case:  many 
excellent  men  among  the  clergy  were  excited  to  a 
godly  emulation,  who,  far  from  regarding  the  work 
with  an  eye  of  jealousy,  cordially  and  kindly  held  out 
the  right  hand  of  fellowsliip  to  the  missionaries  and 
the  Methodist  preachers.  Several  gratifying  instances 
of  this  may  be  seen  in  the  Re^v.  Matthew  Lanktree's 
Biographical  Narrative,  from  which  I  have  already 
quoted ;  and,  in  connection  with  the  name  of  Ouseley, 
I  shall,  in  the  progress  of  these  details,  take  a  further 
liberty  with  that  interesting  and  excellent  work. 

According  to  the  statements  of  some  pious  persons, 
the  character  of  religion  in  the  metropolis  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century  was  Luncntably  low  ;  and,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  the  country  did  not  exliibit  a 
much  more  cheering  aspect.  The  biographer  of  the 
Rev.  B.  W.  IMathias  places  on  record  some  facts  in 
connection  with  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  churches 
there,  even  when  "  some  years  of  the  present  century 
had  elapsed  ;"  accounts  which  I  would  not  have  ven- 
tured to  originate,  and  which  are  here  adverted  to  for 
no  Invidious  purpose.  A  pious  friend,  writing  to  Mr. 
Matliias,  then  a  curate  in  a  parish  in  the  county  of 
Down,  diaws  a  deplorable  picture  of  the  period  of 
which  we  now  speak ;  he  says :  "  You  are  aware  that 
Mr.  Hartley  [Moravian  minister]  leaves  Dublin ;  who 
his  successor  may  be  is  unknown,  and  we  can  only 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtJSELEY.  149 


hope  that  he  may  preach  the  gospel.  Plunket-street 
[Independent]  is  a  close  church,  and  the  preaching  in 
it  is  dogmatical  declamation  in  favor  of  speculative 
points  and  forms,  instead  of  upholding  the  gi-eat  and 
essential  truths  of  the  gospel.  Swift's  Alley  congrega- 
tion [Baptist]  have  split  on  the  essential  doctrines  of 
the  divinity  and  atonement.  The  Seceders  of  Mass 
Lane  have  no  niceting-house,  and  those  of  Back  Lane 
no  minister :  and,  alas !  the  gospel  in  Mary's  Abbey 
[Orthodox  Presbyterian  church]  is  not  that  gospel 
under  -which  vital  religion  can  hope  to  flourish;  it  is 
too  often  preached  as  a  mixed  gospel,  and  too  often 
jjrophesieth  smooth  things :  and  as  to  all  other  dissent- 
ing houses,  gross  error  binds  the  ministei's,  and  gross 
darkness  the  people.  And  if  we  turn  our  view  to  the 
E>tablishment,  where  shall  we  find  anything  of  the 
i;ospel,  except  in  the  liturgj-  and  prayers  of  the  church? 
Not  one  to  testify  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  save  an 
occasional  sermon  from  any  gospel  minister  who  may 
visit  the  cit}',  and  perchance  obtain  a  pulpit.  Is  not 
tliis  a  dreadful  situation  for  so  popiilous  and  wicked  a 
rity  to  be  reduced  to?  And  although  we  have  been 
and  are  chastised  for  our  sins  by  this  sore  visitation, 
vet  we  trust  the  candlestick  will  not  be  utterly  taken 
away  from  us."* 

*  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  the  correspondent  of  Mr.  Matliias 
did  not  take  a  less  desponding  view  of  the  spiritual  destitution  of  the 
churches  in  the  metropolis.  There  may  have  been,  though  not  pro- 
nouncing his  shibboleth,  seven  thousand  men  wlio  had  not  bowed 
their  knees  to  Baal.  At  the  period  of  which  lie  speaks,  there  were 
more  than  eleven  hundred  in  the  Methodist  society  ;  besielcs  several 
large  and  commodious  chapels,  crowded  with  attentive  and  devout 
hearers,  who  statedly  sat  under  the  ministry  of  Messrs.  William 
Smith,  Charles  Mayne,  William  Stewart,  and  other  able  ministers 
of  the  New  Testament. 


150        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Mr.  Mathias,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Walker,  about  the 
same  time,  says : — "  I  am  anxious  about  the  use  that 
shall  be  made  of  a  place  [the  Bethesda]  that  has  hi- 
therto been  the  only  house  in  Dublin  connected  with 
the  Establisluiient  in  which  the  gospel  has  been  statedly 
preaclied,  and  which,  I  candidly  confess,  I  should  be 
very  soi  ry  to  see  changed  from  the  plan  on  wliich  it 
was  originally  opened."  And  when  that  eminent  and 
deservedly  popular  minister  took  possession  of  his 
charge  in  the  "Bethesda,"  in  1805,  the  congregation 
was  very  small,  scarcely  amounting  to  fifty  persons. 
He  was  inJdbiled  from  preaching  in  the  churches  in 
Dublin.  It  was  contrary  to  the  positive  directions  of 
the  then  provost  of  Trinity  College  that  any  of  the 
students  should  attend  the  Bethesda,  and  it  was  not 
until  the  year  1828  that  Mr.  Mathias  was  licensed  by- 
Archbishop  Magee. — See  Memorial  of  Rev.  W.  B. 
Mathias,  pp.  149,  228. 

The  period  referred  to  was  equally  barren  as  to 
public  institutions  for  the  instniction  of  the  young,  or 
for  the  diffusion  of  evangelical  knowledge  thi-oughout 
the  land.  "  At  the  time  Mr.  Mathias  and  tlie  Rev. 
W.  Thorpe  became  chaplains  of  Bethesda,  the  only 
society  in  Dublin  which  was  connected  with  the  Esta- 
blished Church,  and  seemed  to  have  any  care  for  im- 
mortal souls,  was  '  The  Society  for  Discountenancing 
Vice,  &c. ;'  but  at  that  time  it  excited  comparatively 
httle  interest,  and  did  not  meet  with  the  support  it  so 
fully  merited,  and  which  has  since  made  it  so  useful." 

The  Methodist  Irish  missionaries  had  now  been  for 
several  years  passing  through  evil  report  and  good  re- 
port, and,  in  conjunction  with  the  preachers  on  the 
regular  circuits,  had  created  a  spirit  of  inquiry,  even 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTTSELET.  151 


■where  their  instrumentality  was  not  Acknowledged. 
The  Rev.  George  Carr  of  Ross  and  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Kelly  were  among  the  honored  names  that  favored 
the  Irish  missionaries.  Mr.  Kelly  at  this  time  gave 
Mr.  Ouseley  several  hundred  copies  of  the  tract  com- 
prising extracts  from  the  life  and  epistles  of  St.  Peter, 
and  several  hundreds  of  useful  miscellaneous  tracts, 
not  less  than  a  thousand  altogether,  for  the  purpose  of 
circulating  among  the  congregations  which  attended 
preaching  in  the  sti-eets.  Mr.  Carr.  in  like  manner, 
gave^  a  considerable  number  for  the  same  purpose. 
These  were  considered  of  great  importance  by  IMr. 
Ouseley,  and  were  received  by  the  crowds  attending 
the  ministry  of  the  missionaries  with  the  greatest  ea- 
gerness, and  read  with  delight. 

In  a  part  of  Leinster  south  of  Dublin,  wonderfully 
gracious  effects  followed  the  preaching  of  the  word ; 
in  one  circuit  alone,  not  less  than  one  hundred  joined 
society,  through  the  means  of  the  missionaries,  in  a 
short  time,  many  of  whom  were  Romanists,  and,  when 
converted,  were  not  ashamed,  in  the  midst  of  con- 
tumely and  persecution,  to  acknowledge  Christ.  In 
one  town  not  less  than  half  a  score  joined  societJ^  In 
the  autumn  of  this  year  Mr.  Ouseley  narrowly  escaped 
with  his  life.  He  commenced  preaching  in  the  streets 
of  Carlow  on  the  Lord's  day,  before  the  time  the 
church  congregation  had  reached  the  place  in  which 
he  stood  :  the  streets  were  filled  with  country  laborers, 
who  had,  as  is  common  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  crowded 
into  town  to  look  for  employment,  with  their  reaping- 
hooks  over  their  shoulders;  several  rushed  on  Mr. 
Ouseley,  determined,  it  would  seem,  to  destroy  him, 
but  a  friendly  man,  a  saddler,  near  whose  house  he 


152       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


stood,  opened  the  lower  half  door  of  lils  sliop,  and 
dragged  him  in  from  the  mob.  In  :i  short  time  the 
military  marched  from  church,  when  ]Mi\  Ouseley  re- 
commenced, and  preached  his  sermon  to  an  attentive 
congregation. 

A  short  time  after  this,  in  a  letter  to  Dr.  Coke,  lie 
speaks  under  circumstances  of  great  encouragement 
concerning  the  numbers,  both  Protestants  and  Roman- 
ists, that  had  joined  society  in  the  south,  and  of  their 
steadfastness  in  the  faith.  In  a  letter  from  him,  in 
January,  1806,  written  from  Coranary,  near  Coote- 
hill,  in  the  county  of  Cavau,  he  mentions  the  vast 
crowds  that  thi-onged  the  streets  to  hear  them,  and 
the  eagerness  wliich  they  manifested,  in  the  markets 
and  fairs  after  preaching,  in  receiving  the  tracts  which 
were  scattered  among  them ;  and  "  though  the  weather 
was  so  severe,  it  was  surely  pleasing  and  astonishing 
to  see  the  vast  crowds  hearing,  while  the  snow,  and 
sometimes  rain  and  snow,  descended  upon  them ;  and 
now,"  Mr.  Ouseley  adds,  "  they  are  come  to  this,  that 
they  can,  calndy,  and  without  the  least  symptom  of 
displeasure,  hear  the  most  profound  mysteries  and  pe- 
culiarities of  their  religion  opened  up  and  exposed, 
supposing  it  to  be  done  in  love  and  tenderness."  If  it 
were  not  so  serious  a  matter,  it  really  would  be  amus- 
ing, to  think  of  the  mysteries  which  he  would  thus 
open  up  with  "  tenderness  and  love."  He  would  rea- 
son with  them,  and  they  would  bear  it,  that  no  frail 
sinner  or  mortal  man  could  create  Christ  of  a  bit  of 
bread ;  that  it  is  all  invention  and  finesse  to  obtain 
power,  honor,  and  profit ;  and  that  no  informed  priest 
believed  a  single  tittle  of  what  he  hiniseh'  taught. 
Such  were  the  powerful  arguments  u-<ed  by  him  on 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEOX  OUSELEY.  153 


some  occasions,  and  deliveied  iu  such  a  torrent  of  rea- 
soning, with  tears  streaming  down  his  cheeks,  that  it 
•was  absolutely  irresistible.  In  one  parish,  in  the  county 
of  Cavan,  the  priest  oppressed  the  people  by  doubling 
their  "  dues,"  ■which  they  resisted,  and  although  the 
Roman  Cathohc  bishop  came  to  reconcile  the  matter, 
he  failed  in  the  attempt;  the  infection  spread  to  an 
adjoining  parish,  and  the  people  cried  out,  "  O  that 
we  had  the  black-caps  among  us !"  Many  of  them  were 
not  afraid  to  come  at  night  to  the  houses  where  we 
j)re<vched ;  and  some  of  them  were  much  affected. 
One  of  them,  a  respectable  man,  having  heard  us 
preach  in  the  market  on  the  impossibility  of  any  crea- 
ture forgiving  sins,  brought  a  large  Bible,  and  the 
Protestant  Prayer-book,  to  prove  their  doctrine  of 
absolution ;  but,  be^g  satisfied  concerning  this  and 
several  other  errors,  he  came  at  night  to  preaching, 
and  heard  the  woixl  -with  teai-s." 

The  exertions  of  Mr.  Ouseley  were  not  confined  to 
the  Roman  Catholics ;  he  aimed  at  confirming  as  well 
as  enlarging  and  edifying  the  societies  of  God's  people, 
and  in  this  he  was  signally  owned  of  God.  In  the 
town  of  Beltui'bet,"  he  says,  '•  a  few  days  ago  we  held 
si.x  dilferent  meetings,  which  engaged  us  from  morning 
till  eleven  o'clock  at  night ;  at  three  of  these  we  preach- 
ed to  vast  congTCgations  in  the  market-house ;  two  were 
ehiss  meetings,  and  one  a  meeting  for  renewing  our 
covenant  with  God,  when  the  preacliing  house  was  so 
full  that  we  could  hardly  get  through  the  people  to  the 
pulpit  The  Lord  was  very  present  with  us.  After 
the  co\  enant  thirty  joined  the  society." 

Such  were  the  incessant  exertions  of  the  brethren 
that  the  letter  to  Dr.  Coke,  connnenced  by  Jlr.  Ouse- 


154        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

ley  on  the  11th,  coiild  not  be  closed  till  the  17th. 
AlaS !  little  do  then  know,  who  are  enjoying  their  lite- 
T&ry  ease,  or  Uieir  mere  local  and  even  pastoral  care, 
of  what  tliey  have  to  pass  through,  who  run  into  every 
open  door,  and  cry,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  !"  O  hapjiy, 
happy  toil ! 

He  resumes  on  the  1  7th : — "  So  hurried  have  we 
been  in  the  Lord's  work  from  the  1 1  th,  that  we  scarce- 
ly have  time  to  sit  down  to  finish  our  letter.  We  have 
had  blessed  seasons  indeed.  On  Sunday  we  had  large 
congregations ;  great  numbers  became  much  affected, 
and  joined  our  society,  among  whom  was  a  Roman 
Catholic,  who  had  heard  me  about  five  years  ago  in 
this  country,  having  never  lost  the  inipres-ions  wl;ich 
were  then  made  on  his  mind.  In  short,  much  good  is 
doing.  By  the  vehement  labors  the  last  few  days  I 
am  much  cut  down ;  but  in  a  few  days  I  hope  I  shall 
be  fresh  and  strong  again."  While  he  felt  confidence 
and  joy  in  being  associat  nl  with  the  good  Mr.  Hamil- 
ton, he  mourned  the  absence  of  Chai-les  Graham. 
"Brother  Hamilton,"  he  says,  "is  finely,  God  be 
praised  for  him,  as  brother  Graham  has  been  talcen 
from  me ;  I  never  saw  a  more  indefatigable  laborer 
than  brother  Hamilton."  Such  were  the  incessant 
and  increasing  demands  on  their  time  that  they  found 
it  impossible  to  reach  Cork,  which  formed  part  of  their 
sphere  of  labor;  Mr.  Ouseley  is  obliged  to  say,  "  We 
cannot,  I  am  sure,  get  to  Cork  district  this  year.  No, 
no!  we  cannot  supply  even  the  calls  on  the  Dublin 
district." 

He  again  strenuously  urged  for  some  tracts  which 
would  tend  to  disabuse  the  minds  of  the  poor  Papists, 
so  dreadfully  deceived  by  the  duplicity  and  perversions 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  155 


of  their  spiritual  guides.  "  Something  strong  and  plain : 
our  Lord's  sermon,  with  short,  plain  notes,  to  scatter 
among  the  people,  to  enlighten,  and  induce  them  to 
read  the  whole  Bible."  Mr.  Ouseley,  as  appears  above, 
directed  his  chief  attention  to  the  Dublin  district  and 
its  vicinity  during  the  remainder  of  the  year,  among 
all  classes,  and  by  every  method,  preaching  Christ  as 
a  gracious,  present,  and  all-sufficient  Saviour.  The 
first  time  I  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing  him  was 
about  the  early  part  of  the  summer  of  this  year,  in 
company  with  Mr.  Hamilton.  I  had  been  led  to  con- 
ceive of  Mr.  Ouseley  that  he  was  an  ardent,  zealous 
man,  who  made  persuasive  and  impressive  appeals  to 
the  hearts  of  his  hearers ;  but  I  had  formed  a  very  in- 
adequate opinion  of  his  character  as  a  preacher.  On 
the  occasion  referred  to,  Mr.  Hamilton  had  preached 
an  excellent  sermon  in  his  own  peculiar  style,  at  the 
close  of  which  ilr.  Ouseley  stood  up  in  the  pulpit ;  he 
wore  his  black  cap,  and  otherwise  his  appearance  was 
peculiarly  sti-iking;  he  seemed  to  be  laboring  under 
hoarseness  from  recent  cold,  and  from  out-door  preach- 
ing. This  gave  his  voice  a  deep,  sepulchral  tone,  whicli 
added  not  a  little  to  the  solemnity  of  his  address,  and 
to  the  impr^sion  on  the  minds  of  his  audience.  His 
words  were,  as  well  as  I  recollect,  to  the  following 
effect : — "  There  is  a  moment  in  every  man's  life  in 
which,  if  he  turn  to  God  by  repentance  and  faith,  he 
must  begin :  that  moment  becomes  the  turning  point 
for  eternity.  He  must  begin  some  year  of  his  life — 
some  month  in  that  year — some  iceek  in  that  month — • 
some  day  in  that  week — some  hour  in  that  day — some 
minute  in  that  hour — some  moment  in  that  minute. 
'  Behold,  now  is  the  accepted  time ;  behold,  now  is  the 


156        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDKON  OUSELEY. 


day  of  salvation."  This  formed  the  basis  of  a  most 
forcible  and  convincing  argument,  in  which  he  urged 
on  his  congregation,  with  great  power,  the  danger  of 
not  immediately  submitting  themselves  to  God. 

The  rest  of  the  time,  till  the  ensuing  conference,  was 
filled  up  in  the  same  manner  as  described  in  the  letter 
to  Dr.  Coke ;  and  the  great  Head  of  the  church  abun- 
dantly favored  his  servants.  "  While  on  the  Drogheda 
circuit,  as  well  as  in  other  circuits,"  Mr.  Ouseley  says, 
"  we  preached  constantly  both  in  streets  and  houses ; 
we  have  had  large  congregations,  and  great  multitudes 
of  Romanists,  who  appeared  to  hear  with  much  atten- 
tion. The  priests  in  Drogheda  do  not  say  a  word 
against  us.  On  the  market-day  we  preached  in  three 
different  parts  of  the  market  to  attentive  multitudes, 
and  in  the  evening  in  the  Tholsel." 

Here  a  novel  scene  was  e-xhibited.  Any  one  ac- 
quainted with  the  town  of  Drogheda  knows  that  it 
abounds  with  beggars ;  and  now  Mr.  Ouseley  publish- 
es that  he  will  preach  a  sermon  in  the  street  to  the  beg- 
gars on  the  morning  of  his  departure  from  the  town. 
(This  was  forty  years  before  the  school  for  the  "  ragged 
boys,"  in  London,  had  an  existence.)  Great  multitudes 
of  beggars  attended  ;  they  stood  next  the  preacher,  and 
a  vast  crowd  assembled  outside,  anxious  to^Lnow  what 
kind  of  sermon  would  be  delivei'ed  on  the  occasion. 
Mr.  Ouseley  took  for  Ids  subject  the  history  of  the  rich 
man  and  Lazarus.  God  was  manifestly  present  and 
gracious  ;  and  greater  showers  of  tears  were  shed  than 
at  any  other  meeting,  both  by  the  poor  paupers  and 
those  around.  Mr.  Ouseley  retired  under  the  blessings 
of  the  poor  creatures  who  had  so  eagerly  heard  the 
word  of  the  Lord. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  157 


The  efforts  of  the  missionaries  were  also  greatly  and 
extensively  blessed  in  other  places,  immediately  after 
tliis.  In  the  counties  of  Carlow  and  Kilkenny,  parti- 
cularly, so  great  was  the  impulse  produced,  that  the 
people  came  from  distant  places — some  seven,  ten,  and 
even  twenty  miles — to  attend  the  meetings  which  were 
held  by  them.  Not  less  than  two  hundred  in  one  fort- 
night came  forward  to  join  society.  In  Carlow  the 
chapel  could  scarcely  contain  the  people  who  thronged 
from  all  quarters  to  attend  a  love-feast,  in  speaking 
of  which  Mr.  Ouscley  says,  "  We  had  a  glorious  time  ; 
truly  this  circuit  seems  to  lift  up  its  head." 

In  the  city  of  Kilkenny  the  mob  were  very  much 
disposed  to  create  disturbance  ;  but  they  were  deterred 
by  the  presence  of  the  military,  and  the  interposition 
of  the  chief  magistrate.  The  missionaries,  for  ttree 
successive  days,  pi-cached  in  the  streets — not  less  than 
seven  sermons  in  all.  "  For  the  first  time,"  says  Mr. 
Ouseley,  "  I  laid  siege  to  Popery  every  day."  A  little 
after  this  he  met  with  ruffian  treatment  in  the  town 
of  Granard,  for  which  the  assailant,  a  man  named  Caul- 
field,  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment.  Here,  notwith- 
standing, the  word  was  with  power,  and  several  joined 
society.  "  Often,"  says  IMr.  Lanktree,  "  has  my  soul 
been  roused  by  the  unquenchable  zeal  and  abundant 
labors  of  these  men  of  God,  especially  ]Mr.  Ouseley ; 
but  never  more  so  than  on  the  morning  after  this  trial. 
He  had  been  published  to  preach  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
chapel,  but  at  five  I  was  surprised  to  hear  singing 
in  the  street;  when  I  arose  and  went  out,  he  was  ad- 
dressing a  considerable  number  of  laborers,  who  were 
standing  with  their  spades  waiting  to  be  employed. 
AAer  an  appeal  to  their  hearts,  in  their  own  language, 


158        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


he  fulfilled  his  appointment  in  the  chapel.  Often,  in 
the  coui-se  of  a  day's  ride  with  him,  have  I  -witnessed 
the  same  aptness  to  teach  ;  '  instant  in  season  and  out 
of  season :'  instructing  the  poor  Irish  was  Gideon 
Ouseley's  delight." 

Well  might  the  Irish  Conference,  in  its  Address  to 
the  British,  state:  "In  many  parts  of  this  comitry 
much  good  has  been  done  the  last  year  through  the 
preaching  of  the  word.  A  spirit  of  hearing  has  been 
excited  in  the  minds  of  people  of  almo.st  all  descriptions ; 
insomuch  that  no  inconveniences  of  time  or  situation 
could  prevent  hundieds,  in  various  places,  from  assem- 
bling in  the  streets  to  hear  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
These  are  encouraging  openings,  which,  if  followed  up 
in  the  spirit  attendant  on  the  sacred  ministi-}-,  will,  wc 
doubt  not,  be  j^roductlve  of  the  greatest  benefit  to 
mankind." 

After  Mr.  Ouseley  left  the  Dublin  district,  which 
happened  in  July,  the  sphere  of  his  active  and  unceas- 
ing exertions  for  the  next  few  years  was  his  native 
province,  where,  in  times  gone  by,  he  had  gone  forth 
"weeping,  bearing  precious  seed;"  where  he  was 
beloved  and  honored,  and  where  the  mos-.  tender 
recollections  were  cherished  of  the  scenes  in  which  he 
had  been  the  principal  actor.  He  was  called  by  some 
in  that  country  by  a  very  expressive  title,  Sheeda  no 
var — "  the  silk  of  men  " — in  allusion,  not  only  to  his 
name,  which  was  in  Irish  Sheeda  Ouseley,  but  as 
illustrative  of  his  chaa-acter.  The  Rev.  William 
Cornwall,  who  has  been  for  more  than  thirty  years  an 
cificient  Irish  missionary,  was  his  son  in  the  gospel, 
and  tells  some  interesting  things  concerning  liis 
preaching  at  that  time.    The  eSec*s  i>roduced  by  his 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  159 


preaching  were  surprising:  sometimes,  during  his 
sermon,  the  congregation  would,  iis  by  a  sudden  im- 
pulse, simultaneously  rise  from  their  seats,  fidl  prostrate 
on  their  knees,  and  with  strong  cries  and  tears  pray  to 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  have  mercy  od  them.  Mr. 
Cornwall,  speaking  of  the  fii-st  visit  wliich  'Mr.  Ouseley 
paid  to  his  father's  house,  about  six  miles  distant  from 
Dunmore,  says,  "  The  first  time  I  had  the  privilege 
of  seeing  him  was  in  a  class  which  was  met  in  my 
father's  house.  When  I  was  informed  by  a  pereon 
near  me,  tliut  it  was  Mr.  Ouseley,  the  mention  of  his 
name  had  a  wonderful  effect  on  my  mind,  so  that  I 
shed  tears  incessantly.  When  he  prayed  in  the  meeting, 
I  felt  still  more  powerfully  affected ;  but  when,  after 
the  meeting,  he  came  and  shed  tears  over  my  head, 
exclaiming,  '  0  my  cliild  !  O  my  child  I'  my  heart  was 
broken.  The  anticipation  of  future  good  then  mixed 
my  sorrow  with  joy.  From  that  hour,  his  appearance, 
his  prayers,  his  situjiiuj,  his  preaching,  and  all  I  saw 
him  do,  had  a  wonderful  effect  upon  me."  Some  time 
before  the  appointment  of  Mr.  C.  to  a  circuit,  he  was 
the  instrument  of  the  happy  conversion  of  Mr.  John 
Ouseley,  father  of  the  subject  of  this  ^Memorial.  iVIr. 
Ouseley  used  to  remark,  INIr.  Cornwall  was  his  own 
son  in  the  gospel,  and  his  own  father  was  Mr.  Corn- 
wall's son. 

!Mr.  Ouseley  had  resided  in  Sligo  some  time  before 
his  being  called  out  to  travel ;  he  had  now  the  pleasure 
of  visiting  the  scene  of  his  earlier  pious  efforts,  and  his 
heart  rejoiced  that  he  had  not  i-un  in  vain,  neither 
labored  in  vain.  The  counties  of  Mayo,  Roscommon, 
Leitrim,  and  Sligo,  especially,  invited,  in  succession,  to 
labor.    But  in  the  town  of  Sligo  and  its  neighborhood 


160       MEMO  RIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


the  word  was  wonderfully  successful ;  the  missionaries 
not  only  preached  in  the  streets  and  lanes  of  the  city, 
but  held  field  meetings,  to  which  great  multitudes  were 
attracted,  and  many  were  brought  to  a  saving  know- 
ledge of  the  truth.  Even  when  the  weather  turned 
out  unfavorably,  they  held  prayer  meetings  until  the 
shades  of  evening  obliged  them  to  retire.  In  these 
meetings  they  were  ably  assisted  by  the  Rev.  Mi-.  Cald- 
well, of  SHgo,  a  devoted  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  This  pious  man  would  remain  until  near 
night,  even  under  descending  rain,  praying  with  peni- 
tents ciying  for  mercy.  "  As  to  the  work  of  God 
here,"  says  Mr.  Ouscley,  "  I  do  not  know  i-ightly  how 
to  describe  it ;  but  this  I  say,  the  whole  country  seems 

moved  It  is  only  eternity  will  tell  what  the  Lord 

has  done  lately  among  us."  Speaking  of  a  love-feast 
that  was  held  shortly  after  one  of  these  field  meetings, 
he  says,  "  I  am  just  come  from  the  meeting  this 
moment — one  of  the  most  glorious,  perhaps,  you  or  I 
e^  er  saw.  After  about  one  hour's  speaking,  the  whole 
house,  crowded  as  it  was  from  end  to  end,  broke  out 
into  one  burst  of  prayer  and  praise — the  cries  of  peni- 
tents, and  the  praises  of  believers  mingled,  were  most 
delightful  to  those  '  who  know  the  joj-ful  sound.'  Not 
less  than  thirty  souls,  it  was  supposed,  were  at  this  time 
brought  into  tlic  enjoyment  of  the  divine  favor." 

Abundiint  blessings  accompanied  the  missionaries  in 
tlicir  work  in  other  parts  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley's  ministry  was  most  signally  owned  of  God.  The 
Address  of  the  Irish  to  the  British  Conference  speaks 
in  language  of  rejoicing :  "  In  our  former  Address  we 
declared  our  expectation  that  we  should  be  blessed 
this  year  with  a  powerful  visitation  from  the  Spirit  of 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  161 


the  Lord ;  and,  thanks  be  to  God,  we  have  not  been 
disappointed.  On  various  circuits  there  has  been  an 
ingathering ;  and,  what  we  think  of  far  more  import- 
ance, many  have  been  turned  to  the  Lord.  In  speak- 
ing o^he  prosperity  of  Zion,  we  would  not  pass  over  in 
silence  our  beloved  missionaries,  whose  labors  the  Lord 
remarkably  owns;  a  considerable  number,  through 
their  instrumentality,  have  been  brought  from  dark- 
ness to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God : 
many  classes  have  been  formed  by  them,  and  may  God 
prosper  their  way  more  and  more."  The  fathers  and 
brethren  in  England  answer  in  the  language  of  con- 
gratulation :  "  In  the  success  of  the  missionaries  we 
gi'eatly  rejoice,  and  congratulate  you  on  the  pleasing 
prospect  which  opens  before  you.  We  doubt  not,  dear 
brethren,  your  zeal  in  this  glorious  cause,  nor  shall  our 
prayers  be  wanting  in  your  behalf,  that  your  labors  in 
this  blessed  undertaking  may  abundantly  prosper. 
Even  so,  Lord  Jesus.  Amen !" 

As  from  the  numerous  and  important  public  en- 
gagements which  constantly  engrossed  the  attention, 
and  occupied  the  days  and  nights  of  ]\Ir.  Ouseley,  it 
might  be  naturally  supposed,  that  neither  leisure  nor 
strength  remained  for  those  which  might  be  considered 
as  minor  duties.  It  may  not  be  unnecessary  here,  in 
order  to  a  more  correct  knowledge  of  his  character 
in  this  respect,  to  give  a  brief  sketch  of  his  mode  of 
working,  agreeing  as  well  vdth  this  period  of  his  minis- 
try, as  every  other  part  of  it,  before  and  after.  The 
children  and  young  people  were  the  objects  of  his 
anxious  care.  This  may  be  said  also  of  ihose  who 
labored  in  connection  with  him.  They  would  cause 
them  to  commit  to  memory  portions  of  the  Holy 
11 


162         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


Scriptures,  and  of  our  hymns;  and  give  them  little 
reward  books  for  their  encouragement.  As  we  have 
already  seen,  great  quantities  of  tracts  were  dis- 
tributed, and  innumerable  copies  of  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures were  put  in  circulation,  among  all  classes.  ]\Ir. 
Ouseley  was  furnished  with  supplies  for  this  purpose 
by  friends  in  Dublin,  and  by  grants  from  the  Incor- 
porated Society ;  and  they  were  bought  up  wth  the 
greatest  eagerness  by  all  descriptions   of  persons. 

More  good  news,"  says  Mr.  Ouseley ;  "  the  poor 
Romanists  buy  up  the  Testaments,  in  a  manner,  as  fast 
as  the  Protestants  :  we  have  not  one  now.  O  hasten, 
hasten!  let  us  have  the  books  which  we  re(pested 
from  the  Book  Room,  and  the  Bibles  and  Testaments. 
The  places  that  did  not  get  them  are  ci-ying  out." 
The  most  beneficial  results  followed  these  efforts  every- 
where, among  young  and  old  !  A  spirit  of  incpiiry  was 
created,  and  a  growing  interest  excited  for  the  truth 
as  it  is  in  Jesus.  This  is  conveyed  by  Mr.  Ouseley,  to 
his  friend  Mr.  Lanktree,  in  strong  terms : — 

"  We  have  now  received  five  hundred  Testaments 
within  these  few  months,  and  we  brought  seventy  more 
with  us  from  Dublin,  yet  we  had  scarce  one  of  them 
left  when  the  last  parcel  arrived.  The  Lord  bless  you 
for  your  exertion  in  procuring  them,  and  the  Incorpo- 
rated Society  for  giving  them  !  Surely  it  was  a  charity, 
the  effects  of  which  only  eternity  will  fully  disclose  !  To 
have  the  word  of  God  in  the  hands  of  so  many  who 
lately  lay  in  darkness,  O  how  blessed  !  These  three 
things,  out  of  many,  are  the  consequences  :  1st.  I  sup- 
pose about  one  hundred  of  the  youth  are  getting  select 
parts  by  heart  for  us  :  thus  sounding  the  word  of  God 
in  the  families  day  by  day.    Surely  this  must  have  a 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  168 


good  efl"ect.  2d.  The  grown  people  who  hear  us,  read 
the  Scriptures,  and  are  reading  too  the  doctrines  wo 
preach  in  the  book  of  God.  Thus  their  prejudices  are 
removed ;  and  they  yield  ■with  trembling  heai"t3  and 
flowing  eyes  to  the  truth,  and  lead  new  lives,  to  the 
glory  of  God.  3d.  The  Romanists  get  some ;  and 
whether  the  priests  will  or  will  not,  they  read  together, 
and  compare,  at  times,  ours  with  the  Douay  Testament. 
They  begin  to  find  that  the  Protestant  Testament  is 
not  false,  as  was  represented — the  substance  of  both 
being  much  the  same — and  then  say  the  Testament 
alone  is  right." 

Mr.  Hamilton  says : — "  There  is  a  great  spirit  of 
inquiry  among  them.  They  know  us  everywhere,  and 
we  are  the  conversation  of  town  and  country.  Upon 
the  whole,  the  devil  is  not  likely  to  get  near  as  many 
souls  from  this  counti-y  as  he  expected.  Some  of  our 
new  members  are  very  happy  and  useful :  our  own 
souls  are  greatly  comforted  among  them.  There  is 
much  good  doing  among  the  children  in  every  place ; 
which  I  think  will  never  be  forgotten.  A  curate  in 
Easkey  is  zealously  on  our  side." 

Nor  were  these  the  only  means  resorted  to  by  Mr. 
Ouseley — he  never  seemed  to  cease  or  tire.  By  his 
colloquial  addresses,  as  he  traveled  or  where  he  so- 
journed, he  found  easy  access  to  all  classes  of  persons, 
and  introduced  subjects  connected  with  their  best  in- 
terests to  all  with  whom  he  met.  Whenever  or  wher- 
ever he  had  the  opportunity,  he  might  be  said  never  to 
have  failed  in  improving  it.  In  this  respect  I  believe 
he  was  seldom  equaled,  and  never  surpassed.  His 
power  was  singular,  and  his  success  extraordinary. 
He  adapted  bis  observations,  with  apparent  ease  and 


164        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


facility,  and  -mthout  offense,  to  all  ranks,  employments, 
habits,  and  prejudices ;  and  in  every  case  would  with 
admirable  force  convey  instruction  to  the  understand- 
ing of  the  several  kinds  of  persons  with  whom  he  con- 
versed. You  could  not  form  a  just  estimate  of  the 
character  and  talent  of  Mr.  Ouseley  as  a  missionary, 
if  this  peculiarity  were  overlooked.  This  species  of 
instruction  was  practiced  in  all  his  travels,  and  in  all 
the  circles  of  society  in  which  he  moved.  He  would 
express  himself  on  the  important  subject  of  his  mission, 
to  the  merchant  in  his  office,  or  the  man  of  science  in 
his  study ;  to  the  professional  man,  or  the  military 
officer ;  to  the  farmer  at  the  plough  or  casting  in  the 
seed  ;  to  the  set  of  workmen  in  the  field  or  peat  bog  ; 
to  the  group  of  idlers  at  the  smith's  forge,  or  collecting 
round  him  at  the  turnpike  gate.  The  peer  or  the 
peasant ;  the  lady  in  her  drawing  room,  or  the  servant 
maid  in  the  kitchen ;  all  seemed  alike  accessible  to 
him  :  no  difficulty  would  obstruct,  no  rank  prevent, 
his  attempts  to  do  good  in  this  way.  All  appeared  to 
be  impressed  by  the  justness  of  his  remarks,  and  the 
force  of  his  reasonings ;  illustrated  as  they  were  by 
figures  most  appropriate  and  familiar  to  the  parties, 
and  best  adapted  to  their  views  and  habits.  As  an 
evidence  of  this,  on  such  occasions,  generally  speaking, 
all  business  was  suspended  by  the  persons  whom  he 
addressed. 

Some  of  his  conversations  in  this  way  I  have  already 
noticed ;  here  I  will  call  your  attention  to  two  exam- 
ples, which  prove  my  representation.  Coming  up,  one 
fine  summer's  day,  with  a  number  of  men  cutting  peat, 
"  What  are  ye  doing,  boys  ?"  said  he.  "  We  are 
cutting  turf,"  they  answered.    "  Sure,"  I'eturned  Mr. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  165 


O.,  "you  don't  reqidre  them  this  fine  weather?" 
"  No,  sir,"  they  answered,  "  we  don't  want  them  now ; 
but  we  '11  want  them  in  the  cold  days  of  winter,  out 
here,  and  in  the  long  nights."  "  And  ye  fools,"  said 
Mr.  O.,  '•  won't  it  be  time  enough  to  cut  them  when  ye 
want  them  ?  Let  winter  provide  for  itself."  "  O 
muisha,  sir,"  answered  they  again;  "it  would  be  too 
late  then."  Mr.  Ouseley's  moral  on  the  subject  will 
be  easily  understood  :  he  urged  upon  them  the  need 
of  a  present  salvation,  to  make  them  happy  here,  and 
give  them  a  preparation  for  a  long  eternity. 

WTien  I  last  resided  in  Dublin,  a  pious  gentleman, 
a  friend  of  mine,  was  exceedingly  anxious  about  the 
salvation  of  a  noble  friend  of  his.  He  frequently  com- 
plained to  me  that  he  could  get  no  clergjTnan  to  go 

with  him  and  visit  his  dear  old  friend,  Lord  ,  to 

speak  to  him  about  his  soul,  although  on  the  very 
borders  of  eternity.  "  I  had  a  promise,"  he  said  one 
day,  "  from  B.,  [an  eminent  clergjTnan  of  the  Estab- 
hshment,]  that  he  would  come  with  me ;  but  six  months 
have  elapsed,  and  he  has  not  fulfilled  his  promise.  He 
is  like  every  one  else — afi-aid  of  his  lordship.  O  will 
nobody  come  with  me  to  see  my  dear  lord  ?  I'  11 
tfll  you  ivhal .'  I  '11  go  to  Gideon ;  he 's  in  town :  he'  II 
come  with  me."  The  gentleman  seemed  quite  re- 
lieved ;  went  off  to  Mr.  Ouseley,  and  took  him  in  his 
carriage  to  the  mansion  of  the  noble  lord.  The  object 
of  their  visit  being  briefly  hinted  by  the  gentleman, 
Mr.  Ouseley  verj'  affectionately  and  respectfully  urged 
upon  his  lordship  the  indispensable  necessity  of  pre- 
paring for  an  eternal  world.  "  Mr.  Ouseley,"  replied 
his  lordship,  "public  business  must  be  attended  to; 
and  we  have  no  time  for  these  things."  Mr.  0.  re- 


166        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


joiped,  "  But,  my  lord,  we  must  have  time  to  die,  and 
we  should  be  prepared  for  that  inevitable  event."  His 
lordship  said,  "  And  what  am  I  to  do,  IMr.  Ouseley  ?" 
To  which  he  replied,  "  There  is  the  New  Testament: 
it  contains  the  will  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  tells 
you  what  you  are  to  do,  my  lord."  "  But,  Mr.  O., 
there  are  many  things  in  that  book  which  I  can  under- 
stand, and  that  I  admire.  I  must  confess,  however, 
there  are  other  things  I  cannot  agree  with."  "  Ah ! 
my  lord,  that  will  never  do.  What  if  your  lordship 
had  a  case  submitted  to  you  by  an  individual,  for  an 
opinion ;  and  after  your  opinion  had  been  drawn  up 
with  the  utmost  care  and  legal  accuracy,  he  would  say, 
'  Why,  my  lord,  there  is  part  of  this  I  like  pretty  well, 
but  with  other  parts  I  cannot  agree :'  what  would  you 
say,  my  lord?"  "Ah!  I  perceive  your  meaning; 
we  must  receive  the  wliole  as  a  revelation  from  God." 
"  Exactly  so,  my  lord.  Take  up  that  book ;  believe 
what  it  says,  and  do  what  it  commands,  and  you  will, 
my  lord,  be  prepared,  by  His  mercy,  for  the  hour  of 
death,  and  for  that  day  when  the  great  Judge  shall 
appear." 

"  And  as  he  reasoned  of  righteousness,  temperance, 
and  a  judgment  to  come,  Felix  trembled."  The  noble- 
man expressed  his  feelings  of  gratitude  to  IVIr.  Ouseley, 
and  invited  hun  and  his  friend  to  dinner.  They  obeyed ; 
but  Mr.  Ouseley,  not  losing  sight  of  the  primary  object 
of  his  visit,  treated  his  lordship  with  a  faithfulness  to 
which  he  had  been  wholly  unaccustomed.  Whether 
any  beneficial  result  followed,  we  cannot  tell — we  can 
only  hope. 

"The  day  of  judgment  shall  declare." 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  167 


During  the  years  1806  and  1807  considerable  agita- 
tion and  troubles  prevailed  through  the  province,  which 
made  it  dangerous  to  travel.  A  body  of  nocturnal 
legislators,  calling  themselves  Threshers,  infested  the 
country.  They  were  organized  for  the  purpose  of 
putting  down  tithes,  and  reducing  the  dues  of  the 
Romish  priests.  They  committed  numerous  depreda- 
tions, and  spread  terror  all  around.  In  the  midst  of 
these  alarms,  God  took  special  care  of  his  servants, 
who,  nothing  daunted,  passed  through  scenes  of  tu- 
mult, and  never  ceased  to  preach  the  doctrine  of  the 
kingdom  of  peace,  publicly  and  privately  witnessing 
the  glorious  effects  of  their  ministrations.  Even  the 
people  who  had  received  the  missionaries  into  their 
houses  had  become  terrified,  and  came  to  the  resolution 
not  to  allow  them  to  continue  their  visits.  JVIr.  Ouseley 
urged  Lis  way  among  them,  and  dispersed  their  fears ; 
and  not  only  retained  his  ground,  but  actually  preach- 
ed in  the  fairs  to  crowded  congregations  of  the  Thresh- 
ers themselves. 

A  party  of  them,  on  one  occasion,  sUghtly  injured 
Jlr.  Ouseley's  horse,  but  they  never  inflicted  an  injury 
on  himself;  on  the  contrary,  they  waraed  the  priest 
not  to  dare  to  meddle  with  Ouseley  any  more  at  his 
peril.  In  a  letter  written  about  this  time,  Mr.  O.  says : 
— "  I  must  not  omit  a  circumstance  that  occurred  as  I 
came  through  the  mountains  home,  after  preaching  at 
night  in  a  new  place.  The  couple  where  I  had  lodged 
told  me  that  the  preachers  could  not  come  there  any 
more,  for  they  were  afraid  of  the  Threshers.  My 
grieved  soul  complained  to  the  Lord  agai;ist  Satan, 
■who  wanted  to  turn  us  out.  Next  morning  the  people 
came  again  together.    We  wept  under  the  meltings  of 


168        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


divine  grace,  and  then  four  or  five  houses  were  open 
to  receive  us.  From  that,  before  I  tasted  food,  I  rode 
off  to  another  place,  and  gathered  the  people,  Roman- 
ists and  Protestants.  While  I  yet  preached,  through 
the  power  of  God's  holy  word  and  Spirit,  an  outcry 
began.  Among  the  rest,  a  respectable  Romanist  cried 
out,  and  prayed  most  vehemently.  After  the  meeting, 
when  I  was  settUng  houses  to  receive  the  Sligo  preach- 
ers, as  it  was  on  their  circuit,  he  spoke  out,  and  said, 
'  Come,  sir,  two  days  in  the  week  to  my  house,  and 
welcome,  indeed.'  '  O,'  said  I,  '  only  for  the  priests 
that  are  ready  to  eat  you  up,  many  of  you  would  do 
so.'  '  The  priests !'  said  he,  indignantly,  '  I  don't  care 
a  straw  for  the  priest ;  not  I,  indeed.'  I  preached  here 
on  Saturday;  and  on  Tuesday  last  in  a  fair,  in  the 
mountains,  among  the  Threshers.  They  gave  me 
thousands  of  blessings.  The  harvest,  the  great  har- 
vest, will  yet  come !" 

In  another  letter  Mr.  Ouseley  thus  describes  his 
efforts  among  the  young  to  promote  Scriptural  instruc- 
tion ;  his  unwearied  perseverance  in  bringing  lost  souls 
to  Christ,  notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  Romish 
clergy ;  and  liis  joy  at  the  gracious  indications  of  pros- 
perity :— 

"  1.  Then  we  are  getting  all  the  single  people  we 
can,  with  the  children,  to  commit  the  Holy  Scriptures 
to  memory,  which  they  do  with  great  pleasure.  One 
boy  said  a  part  of  a  chapter  who  does  not  yet  know 
the  letters. 

"  2.  The  Lord  favored  me  with  witnessing  many  con- 
versions in  several  places ;  and,  blessed  be  his  name, 
we  had  lively  meetings  everywhere,  many  weeping, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  169 

and  many  shouting  the  praises  of  God,  and  that,  too, 
amid  such  troublesome  times.    Hallelujah  ! 

"  In  one  place,  where  ten  or  twelve  of  the  Roman- 
ists had  joined  society,  the  priest,  a  great  drunkard, 
came  among  them.  This  cruel  kite  came,  and  greatly 
terrified  and  scattered  them,  threatening  to  curse,  yea, 
to  make  the  very  hair  to  fall  off  their  head ;  and,  when 
dying,  not  give  them  the  'seal  of  Christ,'  (the  oint- 
ment !)  and  then  what  would  they  do  ?  But  when  I 
came  again  I  ran  into  their  cabins,  and,  poor  things, 
they  sprang  toward  me  with  their  eyes  dancing  with 
joy  and  afiection. 

"  I  preached  them  a  sermon  on  false  prophets :  the 
Lord  greatly  blessed  it  to  the  congregation ;  two  souls 
professed  to  have  obtjiined  converting  grace ;  and  all 
were  greatly  moved.  '  O  the  priest — the  priest !'  cried 
one  in  Irish,  '  why  is  he  hindering  us  from  all  this  com- 
fort and  sweetness?'  Next  morning  again  I  had  a 
large  barn  well  filled ;  and  surely  it  was  heaven  upon 
earth !  The  first  that  fell  on  her  knees  was  a  Romish 
woman,  which  affected  the  whole  house.  She  was  soon 
released  from  her  burden,  and  praised  God  aloud.  Then 
a  Protestant  young  woman  felt  exquisite  distress,  and 
was  blessedly  comforted.  The  next  was  a  Romanist, 
who  roared  from  the  disquietude  of  his  soul ;  after  a 
httle  time  his  heart  got  light,  and  he  glorified  God. 
Then  a  Protestant  man  cried  to  God  most  piteously, 
and  soon  found  peace  and  pardon,  and  so  on,  till  1  sup- 
posed more  than  half  a  dozen  in  a  few  moments  were 
made  to  rejoice  in  the  Lord.  '  O,'  said  a  converted 
Protestant,  in  Irish,,'  God  is  dealing  finely  and  fairly, 
for  he  is  giving  us  one  about  of  each  sort.'    '  O,'  said 


170       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET, 


the  Romanists,  '  the  priest  may  talk  on ;  that  is  all 
he  'II  have  for  it.'  " 

Thus  we  see  the  Lord  deigned  to  smile  on  his  own 
work :  persons  of  all  ranks  and  creeds  became  subject 
to  the  faith;  new  societies  were  formed;  numerous 
congregations  established ;  places  of  worship  erected ; 
and  many  families  opened  their  houses  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  regular  preachers.  The  missionaries  now 
rejoiced  to  see  themselves  rewarded  with  the  spoils  of 
the  enemy ;  while  many  united  themselves  to  the  Lord 
in  a  perpetual  covenant.  Great  numbers  of  Roman 
CathoUcs  became  savingly  converted,  and  were  perma- 
nently joined  to  the  society.  Their  children  were  now 
instructed  in  the  volume  of  their  faith  ;  reading  of  the 
Scriptm-es  and  family  worship  carried  on  where  they 
had  been  totally  unknown ;  the  most  noted  sinners 
were  converted ;  and  even  some  of  those  who,  until 
lately,  had  known  nothing  of  the  power  of  religion, 
became  helpers  together  -with  God's  servants,  instruct- 
ing those  who  were  out  of  the  waj'.  In  reference  to 
one  of  these,  a  person  of  respectability,  Air.  O.  remarks, 
"  Pie  now  exhorts  and  prays  most  vehemently  in  Irish 
and  English."  And  again :  "  We  have  two  fine  fellows 
that  lay  buried  in  these  villages,  now  all  on  fire,  and 
helping  us  most  valiantly.  One  of  .them,  who  was  a 
Romanist,  and  public  catechist  for  the  priest,  is  very 
expert  at  the  Iiish.  God  is  greatly  acknowledging 
their  labors ;  many  more  are  beginning  to  break  forth 
in  prayer.  Hallelujah  !"  exclaims  he,  "  more  and  more 
are  coming  to  our  Redeemer,  both  in  town  and  coun- 
try. The  good  work  is  prospering  in  our  hands  ;  '  all 
glory  to  Him  to  whom  it  belongs ;'  the  most  atrocious 
sinners  are  brought  to  the  feet  of  the  Redeemer."  In 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  171 


one  place,  where  the  clergj-man  of  the  parish  was  very 
favorable  to  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  and  esteemed 
them  in  love  for  their  works'  sake,  they  obtained  the 
use  of  the  parish  church  for  one  of  their  meetings. 
"  We  have  had,"  says  Mr.  O.,  "  a  great  meeting  in  the 
church  of  a  village  called  Easky,  and  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  was  with  us.  Glory  to  his  name  !  Two  sei> 
mens  were  preached.  We  had  a  noise  and  a  shaking 
on  every  hand." 

New  scenes  of  labor  now  open  throughout  the 
country  to  the  circuit  preachers,  who  foster  the  gra- 
cious work,  and  guard  and  edify  the  body  of  Christ; 
wliile  jMr.  Gideon  Ouseley  prosecutes  au  aggressive 
warfare  into  the  regions  beyond,  not  seeming  satisfied 
until  every  portion  of  territoiy,  from  the  L-ish  Sea  to 
the  Western  Ocean,  should  be  in  subjection  to  the 
Prince  of  peace.  Yours,  &c. 

LETTER  IX. 

Mr.  Ouseley  distinguished  m  an  Irish  miesiouary— Messrs.  Bell  and  Ajcom— Street 
preaching  al  Naas — Interesting'  effects  of,  on  a  clergyman  of  the  Established  Church 
— U«eful  ministry  and  triumphant  death— Mr.  Andrew  Taylor— Id  great  peril- 
Heroic  conduct— Mr.  Bell  in  Kilwortli- EffecU  of  eireet  preaching— Mrs.  Carey — 
Mr,  Ouseley  appointed  to  Galway  and  Clare— Suffers  under  severe  illness,  induced 
by  lying  in  a  wet  room— Extract  of  a  letter,  descriptive  of  his  feelings— Kindness  to- 
ward his  colleagues— Sleep  on  the  loft— Sustains  persecution— Assaulted  by  a  priest 
—Letter  on  the  subject  from  Mr.  Hamilton— Sympathy  and  liberality  of  the  English  to 
Irish  missions— Mr.  Hamilton  no  longer  able  to  bear  the  hardships  of  the  mission — 
Sirong  affection  for  Air.  Ouseley — High  opinion  of  the  conference  respecting  Mr, 
Hamilton— F/ong  and  honorable  career  and  triumpliant  close— Great  discouragementa 
of  Mr.  Ouseley  next  year— Explores  new  places— Great  success — Singular  conversioa 
of  a  persecutor  in  class  meeting— Mr.  Ouseley  preaches  in  the  streets  of  Burrisokane — 
Forms  a  society  there- Extraonlinary  exertions  during  that  year— Testimony  of  con- 
ference relative  to  missions — Mr.  Ouseley's  prodigious  labors  deserving  of  notice. 

My  Dear  Friend, — Although  the  honored  name  of 
Gideon  Ouseley  stands  most  distinguished  in  the  an- 
nals of  Irish  missions,  there  were  others  too  who  were 


172 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


great  and  eminently  useful.  The  blessing  of  God  was 
upon  the  efforts  of  his  faithful  servants  in  other  places 
also,  which  would  deserve  to  be  recorded,  did  our 
limits  admit  of  it ;  but  I  shall  select  a  few  cases  which 
satisfactorily  show  "that  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was 
with  them;  and  a  great  number  believed  and  turned 
to  the  Lord." 

Messrs.  Samuel  Alcorn  and  James  Bell,  appointed 
about  this  time  to  the  Dublin  district,  entered  with 
great  zeal  and  diligence  on  their  arduous  undertaking. 
Throughout  the  province  of  Leinster  they  preached  in 
the  streets  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  on  other  days  in  the 
markets  and  fairs,  with  great  faithfulness  and  power. 
Mr.  Bell  was  a  man  of  peculiar  simplicity,  remarkable 
for  his  sweetness  and  devotion  of  spii-it ;  he  loved  his 
country,  and  wept  over  its  miseries ;  and  sought  to  lead 
its  erring  children  from  darkness  to  light.  He  preached 
in  the  Irish  tongue  with  fervor  and  effect.  Very  often 
he  did  more  to  convince  gainsayers  of  the  truth  and 
power  of  the  religion  of  Christ,  and  disarm  his  persecu- 
tors, when  under  their  savage  treatment,  by  dropping 
the  tear  of  pity  for  his  enemies,  and  gently  wiping  the 
blood  and  dirt  off  his  face,  than  by  the  strength  of 
argument  or  the  force  of  persuasion.  Mr.  Alcorn 
preached  only  in  English,  but  was  an  excellent  preacher. 
To  mental  gifts  of  a  superior  order,  he  added  a  popular 
address  and  great  fluency  of  expression ;  and  what 
gave  considerable  effect  to  his  ministration  was  his 
having  a  fine  voice,  and  being  able  to  sing  our  h}  mns 
with  taste  and  judgment — a  matter  of  no  small  import- 
ance to  an  Irish  missionary. 

In  the  autumn  of  1806,  Messrs.  Alcorn  and  Bell,  83 
at  other  times,  preached  in  the  streets  of  Naas,  a  prin- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  173 

cipal  town  in  the  county  of  Kildare,  on  which  occa- 
sion the  Rev.  John  Isaac  Harrison,  the  clergjman  of 
the  parish  and  master  of  the  diocesan  school,  was  among 
their  hearers.  Mr.  H.,  a  gentleman  of  accomplished 
mind,  was  possessed  of  more  than  common  talents,  and 
ranked  among  the  most  celebrated  pulpit  advocates  on 
behalf  of  charitable  institutions,  in  the  metropolis,  pre- 
vious to  the  days  of  Kirwan.  Mr.  Alcorn's  subject 
was  founded  on  Matt,  ix,  37,  .38  :  "  The  harvest  truly 
is  plenteous,"  &c.  The  word  of  God  was  accompanied 
to  the  heart  of  Mr.  H. ;  he  felt  that  with  all  his  endow- 
ments he  was  an  unpardoned  sinner  before  God,  and 
must,  in  order  to  be  saved,  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  as  a  little  child.  He  "  was  not  disobedient  to 
the  heavenly  vision."  He  came  forward  to  Ma-.  Alcorn, 
and,  under  deep  emotion,  said,  "  I  am  a  clergyman  of 
the  Established  Church ;  but,  alas !  though  I  have  been 
a  minister  for  twenty  years,  I  am  one  of  those  idlers 
whom  I  have  heard  described  in  the  sermon."  He 
then  kindly  invited  the  preachers  to  his  house ;  and 
after  IMr.  Bell  had  preached  a  second  sermon,  they  ac- 
companied him  home.  A  large  company  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen  were  engaged  at  the  card  table  when  they 
entered  the  drawing  room.  Mr.  H.  introduced  ^Messrs. 
Alcorn  and  Bell  as  Methodist  preachers,  whom  he  had 
heard  in  the  street.  The  cards  were  soon  laid  aside ; 
and,  after  a  short  interval  of  silence,  a  reasonable  con- 
versation was  entered  on,  and  the  Bible  introduced. 
Mr.  Alcorn  was  requested  by  Mr.  II.  to  sing  the  hymn 
by  which  he  had  been  so  deeply  affected  in  the  street: — 

"  From  Salem's  ?ate,  advancing  slow, 
What  object,  meets  my  eyes  ! 
What  means  tliis  majesty  of  wo  ; 
What  mean  these  mingled  cries  ?"  &c. 


174        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


During  the  singing  of  the  hymn  every  face  was  suf- 
fused with  tears,  and  every  heart  heaved  with  contri- 
tion. It  was  sung  a  second  time  with  hke  effect. 
While  Mr.  Alcorn  engaged  in  prayer,  the  penitent 
spirit  of  Mr.  Harrison  laid  hold  on  Christ  as  his  only 
Saviour ;  he  gave  up  every  plea  beside, 

"  Lord,  I  am  damn'd,  but  thou  hast  died ;" 

and  received  the  witness  of  his  acceptance  with  God 
through  Christ  Jesus ;  and,  to  the  glory  of  the  grace 
of  God,  this  delightful  consciousness  he  retained  until 
he  exchanged  mortality  for  life.  The  whole  family 
soon  participated  in  his  joy,  and  became  heirs  together 
of  the  grace  of  life.  His  parish  felt  the  benefit  of  this 
happy  change,  in  his  future  pious  exertions.  Mr.  Har- 
rison's career,  from  this  time,  was  short.  In  about  two 
years  and  a  half  after  this  scene,  he  caught  fever  in 
visiting  one  of  his  parishioners,  and  in  three  weeks 
died  in  the  full  triumph  of  faith.  The  introduction 
here  of  a  short  letter  from  him  to  Mr.  Alcorn  wiU  be 
permitted,  as  it  shows  the  effects  of  his  gracious  change. 

"  I  would  have  been  glad  to  see  you  and  your 
family  on  your  way  to  your  circuit,  and  am  rather 
jealous  that  you  did  not  so  contrive  your  journey  as 
to  give  us  one  night  in  Naas.  What  pleasure  equal 
to  the  conversation  of  a  man  devoted  to  the  service  of 
God !  I  reckon  that  a  blessed  day  in  which  I  met 
with  such.  Your  advice  to  continue  ray  sabbath- 
evening  meetings,  by  the  grace  of  God,  I  shall  take ; 
and,  eternal  thanks  be  to  God,  it  is  a  day  that  always 
returns  with  additional  pleasure  and  internal  comfort 
to  my  soul.  O  may  I  be  the  humble  means  of  saving, 
if  but  one  soul,  from  the  pains  of  eternal  death  I  We 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  175 


hare  been  in  e3q)ectation  of  seeing  the  preachers  that 
succeed  you  in  this  district.  We  should  unremittingly 
'  pray  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  he  would  send  forth 
laborers  into  his  harvest.'  Should  I  be  wthin  a  few 
miles  of  you  I  hope  to  pay  you  a  visit.  When  you 
write  to  Mr.  Bell  and  ^Nlr.  Ollifte,  please  remember  to 
give  my  love  to  them." 

A  few  days  after  Mx-.  Harrison's  lamented  death, 
Mr.  Alcorn  received  the  following  letter  from  his  son, 
the  Rev.  John  Harrison  : — "  The  public  papers  must 
have  announced  to  you  the  decease  of  one  who  was 
your  son  in  the  gospel,  my  dear  father.  He  knew 
that  by  grace  he  was  called  from  the  captivity  of 
Satan,  and  from  the  coui-se  of  this  present  evil  world, 
in  which  he  had  no  dwelling,  nor  indeed  desired  one ; 
he  was  brought  from  death  to  spii-itual  life,  and  born 
again,  so  that  God  was  his  Father  by  the  power  of  his 
Spirit,  and  Jesus  a  full  Saviour  by  his  atonement  and 
righteousness.  Religion,  which  was  the  zealous  object 
of  his  latter  days,  and  the  love  of  Christ  which  was 
shed  abroad  in  his  heart,  made  him  happy  in  death, 
and,  in  his  own  dying  words,  '  did  cast  out  fear.'  I 
shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  soon  and  often.  The 
diocesan  school  will  be  conducted  by  me,  having  ob- 
tained the  appointment  of  the  bishop,  and,  please  God, 
the  sabbath-evening  meetings  shall  not  be  forgotten." 

It  was  thus,  while  in  the  west  the  blessed  men  en- 
gaged there  gathered  glorious  spoils,  their  brethren  in 
other  parts  of  the  kingdom  were  richly  rewarded  by 
such  signal  ti-ophies  of  success.  "Let  not  ambition 
mock  their  useful  toil ;"  let  no  man  assume  lliat  their 
vocation  was  not  divine,  lest  haply  he  be  found  to  fight 
against  God ;  for  do  not  such  facts  as  have  been  stated. 


176        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


which  stand  out  before  the  world,  give  evidence  of 
the  divine  approval  of  the  men  and  their  call,  by  the 
power  of  God  so  manifestly  accompanying  their  minis- 
trations ? 

Mr.  Bell,  in  conjunction  with  Mr.  Andrew  Taylor, 
labored  the  next  year  with  unabated  fidelity  and  zeal 
throughout  the  Cork  district.  Mr.  Taylor,  though  not 
acquainted  with  the  Irish  language,  was  so  efficient 
and  successful  a  missionary  as  not  to  be  undeserving 
a  place  in  the  list  of  those  who  lived  for  the  regene- 
ration of  their  country.  He  endured  hardness  as  a 
good  soldier ;  and  was  like-minded  with  him  who  ex- 
claimed, "  None  of  these  things  move  me."  In  the 
early  part  of  his  ministry  he  was  in  perils  among  his 
own  countrymen ;  and  when  called  in  these  cLrcum- 
stanees  to  bear  witness  of  the  truth,  evinced  a  spirit 
worthy  of  the  purest  ages  of  Christianity.  During  the 
reign  of  anarchy,  in  1798,  he  was  made  a  prisoner  by 
the  rebel  forces,  in  the  garrison  of  Wexford.  While 
hundreds  of  Protestants  were  sacrificed  at  the  shrine 
of  intolerance,  and  victim  after  victim,  from  the  points 
of  the  enemy's  pikes,  swelled  tlie  tide  of  the  blood- 
stained Slaney,  Andrew  Taylor  was  brought  before 
tlie  inquisitorial  court.  The  usual  interrogatories  were 
put :  What  are  you  ?  &c.  "  I  knew,"  said  Mr.  Taylor, 
(I  heard  him  relate  it,)  "  I  knew  if  I  had  said,  '  I  am 
a  Protestant,'  that  would  have  been  b.id  enough :  to 
have  said,  '  I  am  a  Methodist,'  would  have  been  woi-se, 
but  to  have  said,  '  I  am  a  Methodist  preacher,'  was  the 
worst  of  all."  Kaising  himself  up,  in  calm  defiance  of 
the  ruffian  host,  he  boldly  exclaimed,  "  I  am  a  Metho- 
dist PREACHER,"  not  knowing  but  the  next  hour 
would  have  been  his  last    Strange  to  say,  they 


JTEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEr.  177 


seemed,  by  his  intrepid  avowal,  impressed  with  awe  ; 
one  of  them  interposed,  and  he  escaped  unhurt.  Many 
years  afterward  he  preached  the  gospel  through  that 
very  country,  with  wonderful  success.  For  further 
information  relative  to  tliis  subject  I  refer  you  to  a 
tract,  written  by  the  Rev.  R.  Huston,  in  the  Wesleyan 
Mission  Series,  in  which  he  presents  the  reader  with 
many  interesting  details  of  the  labors  of  Mr.  Taylor, 
and  their  delightful  resijlts,  throughout  the  counties  of 
Wicklow  and  Wexford.  The  ministrations  of  Messrs. 
Bell  and  Taylor  were  graciously  acknowledged  by  the 
great  Head  of  the  church.  I  may  be  allowed  to  select 
one  instance,  which,  with  many  other  interesting  cir- 
cumstances, came  under  my  own  knowledge,  that  will 
establish  this  gratifying  fact. 

The  town  of  Kihvorth  is  beautifully  situated  at  the 
foot  of  a  large  ridge  of  mountains,  called  Kilworth 
Mountains,  about  twenty-seven  English  miles  from 
Cork,  on  the  Dublin  road,  with  wild,  romantic  scenery, 
rising  to  the  north,  and  a  rich,  cultivated  country, 
divei-sified  with  wood  and  water,  toward  the  south 
and  west ;  it,  and  the  surrounding  neighborhood, 
present  a  peculiarly  picturesque  appearance.  Many  of 
the  inhabitants  were,  at  least  at  that  time,  persons  of 
opulence  and  respectability.  Into  this  town  Mr.  Bell 
found  his  way  on  the  sabbath-day,  about  the  time  that 
divine  service  commenced.  He  entered  the  church, 
and  requested  the  sexton  to  show  him  to  the  pew  of  a 
lady  who  he  had  heard  was  religiously  disposed.  At 
the  close  of  the  service,  he  addressed  her  by  saying 
he  was  a  Methodist  missionary,  and  begged  she  would 
have  the  kindness  to  order  her  servant  to  bring  him  a 
chair,  as  he  wa,s  about  to  preach  in  the  street.  She 
12 


178         MEMOKIAI,  OF  GIDEON  OUSEI.ET. 


said  inaudibly,  "  Lord  bless  me !  is  it  not  enough  for 
this  gentleman  to  bring  the  eyes  of  the  congregation 
upon  me  ?  does  he  want  to  make  me  a  spectacle  to  the 
Avhole  town  ?"  In  a  moment,  the  words  of  our  blessed 
Lord  rushed  into  her  mind:  "Whosoever  sh;ill  be 
ashamed  of  mc  and  of  my  words,  of  him  shaU  the  Son 
of  man  be  ashamed,  when  he  shall  come  in  his  own 
glory,  and  in  his  Father's,  and  of  the  holy  angels." 
She  immediately  answered,  "  Not  only  my  servant, 
but,  if  requisite,  myself."  Mr.  Bell  soon  mounted  on 
his  chair — the  lady  standing  beside  him — and  com- 
menced singing  a  hymn.  The  church  congregation, 
not  less  attracted  by  the  lady  taking  her  stand  beside 
Mr.  Bell,  and  assisting  him  with  the  singing,  than  by 
the  novelty  of  a  street  preacher,  several  of  the  more 

respectable  among  them  said, "  We  '11  not  let  Mrs.  

stand  alone ;"  and  immediately  another  and  another 
drew  near  them :  by  and  by  the  church  congregation, 
and  then  that  of  the  chapel,  thronged  around  the 
preacher,  while  he  proclaimed  liberty  to  the  captives 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Soon  were  the  labors 
of  these  zealous  men  followed  with  the  divine  blessing ; 
and  Mrs.  Carey,  the  lady  referred  to,  was  then  among 
the  first-fruits  of  their  preaching.  She  was  a  gentle- 
woman of  singular  sense,  of  highly  cultivated  mind, 
and  of  great  energy  and  decision  of  character.  She 
was  of  a  Protestant  family  of  rank,  but  married  to 
Roger  Carey,  Esq.,  a  Roman  Catholic  gentleman,  of 
considerable  property.  He  was  a  man  of  education, 
and  of  masculine  understanding  ;  who  could  iU  brook 
the  flagrant  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  the 
duplicity  and  disgusting  conduct  of  her  clergy.  I  feel 
no  hesitation  in  placing  these  things  on  record,    I  had 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


179 


them  frequentl}-,  witliout  disguise,  from  the  lips  of  the 
lady  and  gentleman  themselves.  Unhappily,  as  is  the 
case  with  many  persons  in  that  rank  of  life,  he  became 
conversant  with  infidel  works,  and  regarding  Christian- 
it}'  as  exhibited  in  the  models  around  him,  he  sunk  into 
complete  skepticism  in  relation  to  everything  sacred. 
"  He  was  not  an  atheist  from  the  love  of  atheism, 
but  because  the  iniquities  of  Rome  and  its  church  had 
made  him  think  that  the  religion  which  sanctioned 
such  abominations  could  not  be  true ;  and  in  the  reck- 
lessness of  a  thoughtless  mind  he  concluded  that  all 
was  false."  Such  was  his  state  when  the  Methodist 
missionaries  were  invited  to  his  house.  The  progress 
of  error  was  soon  arrested ;  and,  although  he  was  not 
brought  under  the  influence  of  personal  religion,  he 
became  favorable  to  it,  and  sincerely  attached  to  those 
whom  he  believed  to  be  the  true  ministers  of  the  gospel. 
I  frequently  visited  him  during  his  last  illness,  in 
which  he  at  least  manifested  feelings  of  sincere  and 
genuine  penitence.  I  brought  the  Rev.  Thomas 
Wakeham,  a  pious  clergyman,  to  administer  to  him 
the  Lord's  supper ;  and  his  death,  which  I  witnessed, 
was  not  wthout  hope. 

The  grave  has  long  since  closed  on  all  that  was  mor- 
tal of  Mrs.  Mary  Carey ;  I  have  learned  from  others 
that  her  end  was  triumphant :  though  no  memorial  is 
preserved  of  her  excellences  but  that  which  is  che- 
rished in  the  bosoms  of  her  friends,  save  an  expression 
of  the  debt  of  gratitude  which  she  owed  to  the  Wes- 
leyan  Methodist  Missionary  Society,  in  a  bequest  to  its 
funds,  which  stands  in  its  proper  place  in  the  General 
Report.  Such  were  some  of  the  fruits  of  the  gospel  in 
that  part  of  the  Irish  mission,  which  afford  pleasing 


180        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


evidence  that  the  labor  of  those  faithful  men  was  not 
in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

In  the  year  1808,  Mr.  Ouseley,  with  Mr.  Hamilton, 
found  his  way  to  the  county  of  Clare,  which  was  for 
some  considerable  time  to  be  part  of  his  field  of  labor. 
Tliey  soon  penetrated  as  far  as  Kilrush,  a  seaport  in 
the  west  of  the  county.  In  the  early  attempts  to  cul- 
tivate that  moral  waste,  peculiar  hardships  were  to  be 
encountered.  With  these  I  shortly  after  became  ac- 
r^naintcd ;  and  such  were  they,  that,  stern  as  was  the 
resolution  of  my  dear  Mr.  Ouseley,  and  firm  as  was 
his  physical  strength,  they  were  sometunes  both  affect- 
ed. When  contrasting  the  scene  of  his  toil  with  well- 
cultivated  circuits,  powerful  emotions  sometimes  agi- 
tated his  bosom;  and  his  great  sti-ength  occasionally 
sunk  under  the  privations  which  he  endured  while 
seeking  after  lost  and  wandering  souls  in  the  desert. 
Having  lain  in  a  room  in  one  of  his  lodgings  in  the 
county  of  Clare,  the  floor  of  which  was  wet,  (for  it  was 
more  than  damp,)  he  caught  a  severe  cold,  which  turn- 
ed to  ague,  and  by  which  he  was  for  a  short  time  laid 
on  a  sick  bed ;  but  when  at  all  convalescent,  he  was 
eager  to  be  again  at  his  Master's  work.  These  things 
are  best  described  in  a  letter  of  his  own  : — 

"  I  know  you  are  anxious  to  hear  as  to  my  illness, 
&c.  During  the  year  I  had  not  before  this  one  day's 
sickness.  My  health  was  vei-y  good :  but  the  night  be- 
fore I  came  home,  I  lay  in  a  room,  the  floor  of  which 
was  very  damp  and  wet ;  so  I  got  a  double  disorder — 
a  heavy  cold  and  ague.  On  Friday,  through  mercy,  I 
got  a  little  change  for  the  better,  and  have  been  re- 
covering since.    Now  I  get  up ;  and  you  see,  thanks  to 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  181 


our  God,  I  can  write  to  a  friend,  and  hope  soon  to  be 
at  my  Master's  work  agiiin. 

"  And  now  as  to  our  circuit  But  I  must  first  cast 
my  longing  eyes  on  youi-s.  How  pleasant,  my  brother, 
to  range  through  meadows  fair,  and  fields  productive 
of  crops  in  various  states  or  stages,  ready  to  make  the 
tiller's  heart  to  dance;  where  there  are  meandering 
crj'stal  streams  and  sweet  fruits  clustering  all  around ! 
But  to  have  the  huge  rocks,  hard  as  adamant;  wild 
deserts,  where  savage  beasts  seek  their  prey,  and 
scarcely  a  green  herb,  or  spring,  or  fruit,  is  found; 
how  drear}-  is  the  sight !  Allien  the  poor  traveler  does 
not  know  where  to  rest  his  weary  head— how  dismal 
the  contrast !  This  is  our  case.  Yet,  glory  to  God,  my 
brother,  the  Lord  came  with  us ;  and  then  '  labor  is 
rest,  and  pain  is  sweet.'  Some  of  the  solitaiy  places 
are  becoming  glad;  the  desert  begins  to  sing  and 
blossom  as  the  rose.  Friendship  and  good-will  are 
beginning  to  appear.  We  have  now  from  twentj'- 
four  to  thirty  places  at  which  to  call  and  lodge ;  and 
in  two  classes,  for  which  we  have  got  leaders,  there 
are  in  all  about  sixty  or  seventy  members,  with  a  pros- 
pect of  more.  My  friends  there  will  be  glad  to  hear 
that  I  am  aUve — alive  to  live  for  ever !    Hallelujah  !" 

The  lodging  in  which  Mr.  Ouseley  caught  his  ill- 
ness, reminds  me  of  a  similar  place  on  the  same  mis- 
sion, and  perhaps  not  far  from  it,  some  circumstances 
relative  to  which  I  shall  relate.  Mr.  Ouseley  was  re- 
markable for  his  kindness  and  attention  to  his  young  col- 
leagues. He  used  sometimes  to  say  to  mo,  that  he  was 
more  careful  of  their  health  and  comfort  than  of  his 
own.    Jdmj  proofs  had  I  of  this  when,  a  short  time 


182       MEMOKIAL  OF  GICEO^i  OUSLLEY. 


after,  I  traveled  witli  him.  In  a  country  so  extensive, 
and'  -wliere  so  many  excursions  must  have  been  taken 
to  new  places,  our  traveling  must  have  been  desultory, 
and  our  plans,  consequently,  irregular.  Some  of  the 
traveling-plans,  drawn  up  by  my  revered  superintend- 
ent, were  curiosities  in  their  way.  One  locality  never 
escaped  his  special  attention,  and  always,  with  regard 
to  me,  forced  a  smile :  "  Sleep  on  the  loft,"  was  a  stereo- 
tj'ped  note  connected  with  that  place.  It  was  the  house 
of  a  wealthy  farmer.  The  room  which  was  assigned 
the  preacher  was  indescribably  cheerless — though  a 
kind  of  state-room.  It  was  a  small  back  apartment, 
with  an  earthen  floor ;  a  small  window,  opening  into  a 
kitchen-garden,  was  darkened  by  nettles  and  hemlock, 
which  rankly  grew  outside ;  the  walls  were  covered 
wth  a  green  sepulchral  damp,  and  the  room  floor, 
being  much  lower  than  the  ground  without,  rendered 
it  liable  to  continual  wet.  ^Vhen  I  at  any  time  entered 
that  dismal  apartment,  my  feet  sunk  in  the  floor ;  and 
whenever  I  lay  down  in  my  bed  I  thought  of  my 
grave.  It  was  here,  particularly,  Mr.  Ouseley  never 
failed  to  write,  "  Sleep  on  the  loft."  You  may  perhaps 
be  curious  to  have  a  description  of  this  loft.  It  was  a 
small  erection  over  the  kitchen,  between  the  rafters 
of  the  house,  in  which  you  could  not  stand  upright, 
and  ascended  to  by  a  step-ladder.  Of  this,  the  old 
couple,  the  united  bead  of  the  house,  had  long  had  the 
undisturbed  possession.  I  found  it  not  easy  to  remove 
them ;  so  that  for  three  years  I  never  but  once  effected 
an  entrance.  I,  in  this,  broke  through  the  anxious 
direction  of  my  kind  superintendent.  It  was  here,  or 
in  some  place  like  it,  that  Mr.  Ouseley  caught  the  cold 
already  described. 


MEilOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  183 


Not  only  did  Mr.  Ouseley  suffer  from  privations  and 
consequent  affliction,  but  also  had  to  endure  sore  per- 
secutions. A  few  months  before  his  late  illness  he  suf- 
fered severely  from  a  Popish  mob,  led  on  by  a  drunken 
priest.  After  having  been  inhumanly  treated,  he  was, 
in  the  depth  of  winter,  obliged  to  ride  seven  miles 
without  a  hat.  Good  jNlr.  Hamilton  describes  this,  and 
other  things  connected  with  their  mission  that  year,  in  a 
letter  to  Jlr.  Lanktree,  an  extract  of  which  I  subjoin : — 

'■  Such  a  year  of  pei-secution  I  never  had.  '  Cruel 
mockings '  are  nothing,  and  showei"s  of  stones  and  dirt 
are  but  play ;  but  '  bloodshed  and  battery '  are  no  joke. 
Last  Christmas  we  were  waylaid,  and  robbed  of  our 
books.  Ouseley  was  hurt,  and  lost  his  hat  in  the  fray : 
he  had  to  ride  seven  miles  before  he  got  one.  I  thought 
we  should  never  leave  the  spot.  It  happened  near 
EjTecourt,  on  the  Shannon.  We  had  preached  there 
that  day,  and  had  a  battle  with  the  priest  and  his  peo- 
ple. The  priest  beat  my  horse  greatly,  and  the  people 
dragged  him  down  on  the  street,  and  I  on  his  back ; 
but  a  soldier  got  me  into  the  ban-ack-yard.  Ouseley 
was  hurt  there  too.  The  soldiers  then  got  to  arms, 
loaded  their  pieces,  lixed  their  bayonets,  marched  out 
before  us,  and  fonned  a  squai'e  about  us  both  on  the 
sti-eet,  until  we  preached  to  the  market  people.  They 
then  put  us  safe  out  of  the  town ;  but  never  thought 
that  our  persecutors  had  got  out  before  us,  and  lay 
concealed  until  we  came  up,  and  then  surrounded  us 
with  horrid  shoutings,  as  if  Scullabogue  barn  had  been 
on  fire.  At  another  time  a  big  priest  and  I  were  in 
holds  with  each  other  as  he  was  going  to  pull  my  Ouse- 
ley down :  I  could  easily  have  injured  him,  for  he  was 
very  drunk. 


184        MEMORIAL  OV  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


"  We  have  penetrated  as  far  as  Kilrush,  looking  over 
to  the  county  of  Kerry.  In  several  places  we  have  a 
good  prospect.  Our  circuit  is  near  two  hundred  miles 
round.  Weary  work  for  poor  me — full  of  rheumatism, 
with  which  I  was  confined  for  some  months  after  con- 
ference ;  and  I  cannot  look  less  than  five  years  older 
than  I  appeared  then.  ]SIy  dear  brother  Ousoley  is 
coming  round  from  the  county  of  Clare.  We  have 
divided  for  some  time  past.  .  .  .  We  have  no  wonder- 
ful work  this  year,  as  we  had  about  Ballina.  We  are 
very  glad  that  we  are  alive,  and  the  winter  over.  We 
have,  indeed,  a  few  places  opened  for  preaching  that  I 
hope  will  lead  to  a  good  and  lasting  work. 

"  In  the  church  of  Gort  there  is  nothing  sung  but 
hymns  and  hymn  tunes.  Dean  Foster's  is  one  of  our 
lodging  places." 

The  Irish  Conference  expresses  itself  in  terms  of 
strong  affection  to  the  EngUsh,  at  the  end  of  this  year, 
for  their  sympathy  and  liberality  to  the  Irish  mission : 
*'  The  joy  you  feel  at  the  success  of  our  missionaries 
greatly  encourages  us  to  persevere  in  this  very  arduous 
undertaking ;  and  we  have  the  pleasure  of  informing 
you  that  three  additional  missionaries  have  engaged  in 
the  blessed  work  this  year.  Our  beloved  brethren  who 
have  retired  from  it  were  some  of  our  most  useful  men, 
whose  health  declining  under  the  fatigues  thereof,  were 
reduced  to  the  necessity  of  returning  to  their  regular 
place.  To  your  kind  exertions,  and  the  generosity  of 
the  good  people  of  England,  (under  (lod,)  thousands 
of  souls  in  this  country  are  indebt'?d  for  the  light  of  the 
gospel.    May  God  reward  you  all  a  thousand  fold !" 

Mr.  Hamilton,  when  no  longer  able  to  endure  the 
toils  of  that  mission,  parted  from  Mr.  Ouseley  vnth  re- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  185 


gret.    He  had  from  the  first  entertained  a  lively  affec- 
tion for  him ;  he  had  proposed  him  to  the  conference 
to  be  admitted  on  trial,  a  fact  to  which  he  always  ad- 
verted with  peculiar  satisfaction ;  and  now  that  he  had 
been  for  years  '■  his  companion  in  tribulation,  and  in 
tlie  kingdom  and  patience  of  Jesus  Clirist,"  his  attach- 
ment became  more  confirmed ;  and  to  the  end  of  life 
he  cherished  a  fond  regard  for  his  brother  and  friend. 
When  h?  had  reckoned  what  he  terms  his  "  eleven 
years  of  Sundays,"  he  says,  "  Mr.  Ouseley  has  been  a 
blessing  to  thousands  in  Ireland ;  and  his  zeal  has 
stirred  up  many  of  the  preachers  to  open  their  mouths 
wider.  I  am  glad  I  had  the  pleasure  of  recommending 
him  to  travel  about  forty  years  ago.    Our  connection 
should  value  him  very  much."    The  numerous  priva- 
tions and  labors  through  which  Mr.  Hamilton  had  to 
pass,  reduced  his  robust  constitution,  and  brought  on  a 
speedier  decline  of  his  sti-cngth  than  ordinary  circum- 
stances would  have  done.    A  long  period,  therefore, 
i     was  he  laid  aside  from  the  regular  work.    But,  though 
i     incapable  of  slmring  in  the  active  labors,  he  for  many 
jl    years  n  aintained  a  useful  place  in  the  church  of  Christ 
j       The  high  opinion  the  Methodist  Conference  enter- 
I     tained  of  his  worth,  is  seen  in  the  testimony  which  is 
'    on  record  in  the  ]\Iinutcs  with  regard  to  him: — "  He 
]j    was  a  faithful  and  successful  laborer  in  the  Lord's 
l|    vineyard.    For  a  considerable  portion  of  that  time  he 
It    was  the  companion  of  the  indefatigable  Gideon  Ouseley 
!j    and  Charles  Graham ;  and  while  he  shared  with  them 
i|    in  their  arduous  toils  and  trials,  he  enjoyed  the  privi- 
lege of  witnessing  many  blessed  revivals  of  religion} 
I'    and  participated  with  them  in  the  joy  of  beholding  sin- 
j    ners  turned '  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power 


186         MEMORIAL  Ob-  GIDEON  OUSKELV. 


of  Satan  unto  God.'  Througli  increasing  infirmities  he 
was,  in  1816,  compelled  to  retire  from  tlie  regular  work 
of  our  ministry ;  but  during  the  years  of  his  compara- 
tive retirement  he  labored,  as  his  strength  admitted,  in 
the  service  of  his  blessed  Master,  and  was  made  a  bless- 
ing to  many  in  the  several  localities  where  he  resided. 
Previous  to  his  last  illness,  he  wrote  on  a  blank  leaf  of 
his  Bible,  '  Even  now  my  soul  is  on  the  wing.  I  am 
very  happy.  I  bless  the  day  that  I  was  born.  AVhat 
hath  the  world  to  equal  this  ?  I  bitl  its  frowns  and 
smiles  farewell ;  for  "  angels  beckon  me  away,  and  Je- 
sus bids  me  come." '  Some  of  his  last  words  were :  '  If 
I  could  shout  so  that  the  world  might  hear,  I  would  tell 
of  the  goodness  and  love  of  God  my  Saviour.  Not  a 
cloud  !  not  a  cloud !  Victory  over  death !  The  sting 
is  taken  away  ;  glory,  glory  to  God  !'  He  died  October 
8,  1843,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  and  the 
fifty-sixth  of  his  ministiy." 

Mr.  Ouseley  commenced  his  second  year  on  the 
Galway  and  Clare  mission  not  under  very  promising 
appearances.  Mr.  Wm.  Rutledge  was  his  colleague ; 
a  gracious,  prudent,  and  zealous  young  man ;  but  whose 
constitution  was  wholly  unequal  to  the  duties  of  that 
toilsome  circuit.  He  followed  his  great  leader ;  "  but 
not  with  equal  steps."  He  was  sometimes  heard  to 
say,  "  Why,  Mr.  Ouseley  preaches  more  on  his  horse's 
back,  as  he  rides  on  the  way,  than  in  all  his  sermons." 
He  soon  sunk  under  liis  oppressive  work,  and  before 
another  year  had  closed  he  was  called  out  of  a  world 
of  suffering  and  toil,  to  where  the  "  inhabitant  shall  not 
say,  I  am  sick."  This  is  briefly  noticed  in  the  obituary 
of  1811 :  "  AVilliam  Rutledge  traveled  nearly  two  yeai-s; 
one  of  these  was  on  the  Irish  mission,  the  severe  labors 


Mi-jlOKIAL  Ui   (..lUhU.N  OLSiiLEir.  187 


ot"  which  bl•ou^ht  on  that  nffliction  from  which  he  never 
fully  recovered." 

Mr.  Ouscley,  notwithstanding  great  discouragements, 
which  were  inc  reiised  by  the  debility  of  his  pious  com- 
panion, pursued  his  course  «ith  undeviating  diligence. 
He  made  Eniiis  (the  county  town  of  Clare)  his  centre, 
from  which  he  went  forth,  preaching  in  the  streets  of 
the  principal  towns,  and  the  smaller  towns  of  the  ad- 
joining counties,  not  only  maintaining  the  ground  which 
had  been  already  gained,  but  penetrating  recesses,  and 
exp'oring  new  places,  to  the  extremities  of  that  exten- 
sive district :  and  he  rejoiced  in  witnessing  great,  and, 
indeed,  unexpected  success.  Many  favorable  openings 
were  presented  to  him ;  some  of  minor  interest,  but 
others  of  great  impoi-tancc.  One  of  these  secluded 
places,  to  which  at  this  period  he  found  access,  was 
rendered  interesting  by  an  incident  which  may  be  re- 
garded ad  not  common.  The  spot  itself  is  within  a 
valley,  through  which  runs  the  river  Shannon.  On 
one  side  are  the  rising  hills,  and  on  the  other  are  the 
tanks  of  the  river  studded  with  trees,  which,  whUe  they 
partly  intercept  the  view  of  it,  add  considerably  to  the 
effect  of  the  whole  scene.  Here  stood  a  small  village, 
«and  not  far  from  it,  along  the  vale,  some  comfortable 
farm  houses,  occupied,  for  the  most  part,  by  Protestant 
families.  In  this  serene  region,  so  favorable  by  nature 
to  tranquillity,  it  might  be  supposed  that  all  was  order 
and  quiet ;  but,  alas !  it  was  quite  otherwise ;  the  bulk 
of  this  rural  population  had  received  for  "  doctrines 
the  commandments  of  men ;"  and  of  them  it  might 
have  been  said, — 

"  Wild  as  the  untaught  Indian  brood 
The  Christian  Avages  remain.'' 


188        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OU6ELET. 


The  word  of  the  Lord  was  faithfully  and  successfully 
preached  in  this  neighborhood;  and  in  due  tune  a 
class  formed,  of  devout  and  serious  persons.  In  this 
infant  society,  as  well  as  others,  the  principal  difBculty 
was  the  obtaining  of  a  suitable  class-leader ;  the  person 
appointed  for  this  purpose  had  to  come  on  the  Lord's 
day  morning  from  a  place  several  miles  distant.  This 
circimistauce,  as  well  as  the  misfionary's  appearance, 
raised  the  jealousy  of  the  enemies  of  truth,  who  re- 
solved to  extirpate  this  novel  heresy.  Several  of 
them  banded  together  for  this  laudable  object,  and 
one,  more  desperate  than  the  rest,  who  had  gained  a 
bad  eminence  among  them,  was  to  lead  on  the  Intended 
attack.  He  entered  the  house  before  the  meeting 
coiimaenced,  that  he  might  at  a  fitting  time  open  the 
door  for  the  gang.  The  violent  character  of  this  in- 
truder was  so  well  known  by  the  little  company  within, 
that  a  suspicion  was  excited  of  some  evil  being  de- 
signed. The  hjTnn,  however,  was  given  out  and  sung. 
He  said,  "This  is  very  purty ;  I'll  not  disturb  them." 
Prayer  was  made:  he  said  again,  "I'll  let  them  alone 
till  they  have  do!fe  their  prayers."  The  class  meeting 
began,  and  Pat,  for  that  was  his  name,  took  his  seat 
among  them,  saying  to  himself,  "I'd  like  to  hear  what 
they  have  to  say !"  The  leader,  who  was  a  judicious 
man,  met  the  class,  leaving  the  rude  stranger  for  the 
last,  who,  before  he  reached  him,  seemed  under  evi- 
dent emotion,  when  the  leader  addressed  him  to  this 
effect : — "  My  good  man,  have  you  any  knowledge  of 
the  things  of  which  we  have  been  speaking  ?  Did  you 
ever  feel  yourself  a  sinner  before  God,  and  that  you 
deserved  for  ever  to  be  excluded  from  his  presence  ?" 
He  roared  exceedingly,  from  the  disquietude  of  his 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  189 


soul,  and  cried  out,  "  Lord,  have  mercy  upon  me ! 
What  shall  I  do  ?  I 'm  a  wicked  sinner !"  The  whole 
meeting  felt  the  unexpected  shock,  and  their  cries 
and  prayers  became  general.  In  the  mean  while,  the 
party  without,  who  had  already  become  impatient  for 
the  reappearance  of  their  companion,  and  could  not 
get  in  without  forcing  the  door,  paced  back  and  for- 
ward, reiterating,  "  The  devil's  among  the  Swaddlers  I" 
They  litde  suspei  tcd  that  the  strong  man  armed  was 
bound  and  cast  out ;  and  the  man  out  of  whom  he  had 
departed,  "  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  clothed  and  in 
his  right  mind."  I  knew  liim  afterward,  as  noble  an 
advocate  for  the  truth  as  he  had  been  before  a  daring 
opposer. 

Burrisokane,  in  the  county  of  Tipperaiy,  was  the 
principal  place  of  which,  this  year,  Mr.  O.  took  pos- 
session. Having  been  informed  that  there  was  a  very- 
destitute  neighborhootl  a  few  miles  fi-om  that  town, 
where  a  considerable  number  of  ignorant  Pi-otestants 
resided,  who  were  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd,  he 
went  in  quest  of  tliem,  and  on  his  way  stopped  at  an 
inn  in  Burrisokane.  This  occurrence  took  place  about 
the  Christmas  of  1809;  Mr.  Ouseley  inquired  of  the 
innkeeper,  "  Are  there  any  Methodists  hving  in  tliis 
town  ?"  He  answered  in  the  negative ;  but  informed 
him,  however,  of  three  persons  of  respectability,  Messrs. 
Hackett,  Holland,  and  Reed,  who  seemed  more  atten- 
tive to  religious  exercises  than  their  neighbors.  One 
of  these  had  been  connected  wth  the  Methodist  so- 
ciety, and  then,  with  the  other  two,  attached  to  the 
principles  of  the  Baptists.  He  called  on  one  of  these, 
Mr.  Wm.  Haskett,  whose  house  was  soon  kindly 
opened  to  receive  the  servant  of  the  Most  High ;  and, 


190         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


with  that  of  Mr.  Anthony  Holland,  became  the  home 
of  the  Methodist  missionaries.  These  two  good  men, 
and  their  excellent  wives,  who  were  sisters,  were 
among  the  best  and  most  faithful  friends  and  members 
of  the  society  dunng  their  life. 

Mr.  Ouseley  writes,  some  time  afterward,  in  a  letter 
to  Dr.  Coke  :— "  Our  principal  Avork  is  still  in  the 
county  of  Tippcrary.  "When  I  went  alone,  in  the 
name  of  my  God,  into  the  town  of  Burrisokane,  last 
Christmas  twelvemonth,  there  was  no  Methodist  in  the 
place  but  one,  and  he  a  Baptist:  nor  did  I  know  a 
single  person  in  it.  I  was  told  it  was  a  most  wicked 
place,  in  which  very  many  efforts  to  preach  the  gospel 
had  been  bafHed."  After  repeated  visits  of  himself 
and  his  colleague,  he  determined  on  forming  a  society. 
Accordingly,  on  Easter  Monday,  1810,  accompanied 
by  his  friend  and  brother,  the  Rev.  Adam  Averell,  he 
took  down  the  names  of  such  as  were  seriously  dis- 
posed. The  number  of  those  thus  admitted  on  trial 
amounted  to  sixty.  Some  of  those,  as  might  have  been 
expected,  afterward  declined ;  but  others  became 
united  to  the  infant  society,  so  that  in  the  July  follow- 
ing, when  I  first  visited  this  town,  there  existed  in  it  a 
large  and  prosperous  society.  The  coming  of  Mr. 
Ouseley  at  that  particular  time  seemed  quite  provi- 
dential. The  old  church  had  been  pulled  down,  the 
building  of  a  new  one  not  yet  commenced,  and  the 
people  in  a  state  of  spiritual  destitution.  With  two  or 
three  exceptions,  the  whole  town  and  country  were  in 
a  deep  sleep,  from  which  none  but  the  voice  that 
wakes  the  dead  could  arouse  them.  Such  -was  the 
condition  in  which  he  found  this  people  ;  and  while  he 
earnestly  cried  out  to  them  to  turn  to  the  Lord  by 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELEY. 


191 


faith,  and  to  do  works  meet  for  repentance,  the  power 
of  God  accompanied  the  word  preached  by  his  honored 
servant.  The  tnmipet  gave  no  uncertain  sound ; 
many  heard  and  received  with  gladness  the  gospel  in- 
vitation. 

Among  the  first-fruits  of  his  preaching  was  Mr. 
Thomas  Ballard,  then  quite  a  youth.  He  saw  Mr. 
Ouseley  mounted  on  a  table  in  the  street,  preaching 
to  a  crowd,  and  was  attracted  to  the  spot,  at  first  from 
curiosity,  but  soon  the  word  preached  came  home  with 
power  to  his  heart,  and  his  young  mind  becoming 
deeply  affected  with  a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a  lost 
sinner,  ho  cried  out,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?" 
These  early  impressions  were  not  transient,  like  the 
morning  cloud ;  they  resulted  in  his  happily  obtaining 
redemption  in  the  blood  of  Jesus,  even  the  forgiveness 
of  sins,  and  eventually  in  the  consecration  of  himself 
to  the  Christian  ministr)\ 

Many  others  believed  to  the  saving  of  the  soul. 
Doors  were  opened  for  preaching,  and  societies  formed 
thi-ough  the  surrounding  country.  Some  of  those  who 
were  then  gathered  in  from  the  world  to  the  fold  of 
Chi-ist,  "  remain  unto  this  pi'esent,  and  some  are  fallen 
asleep." 

The  societies  formed  and  edified  by  Mr.  Ouseley 
were  generally  well  grounded  in  the  principles  and 
discipline  of  our  Methodist  economy,  and  in  the  nature 
of  pure  Christianity ;  and,  if  the  character  of  the  ele- 
ments be  taken  into  accoiuit,  would  not  suffer  by  a 
comparison  with  those  churches  wliich  have  been  fos- 
tered by  the  honored  fathers  of  our  connection.  As  I 
became  acquainted  with  these  societies  immediately- 
after  their  formation,  I  had  an  opportimity  of  judging 


192        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


for  mj-self ;  and  the  opinions  then  entertained  have 
not  been  altered  by  years  of  subsequent  experience. 

There  is  no  portion  of  liis  life  which  has  more  im- 
pressed my  mind  with  admiration  for  the  man,  and  for 
the  grace  of  God  in  him,  than  the  part  of  wliich  we 
have  just  taken  a  survey.  Notwithstanding  great  dif- 
ficulties and  discouragements,  he  proceeds  onward ; 
nothing  seems  to  impede  liis  course  ;  that  which  would 
have  repressed  the  ardor  of  common  minds,  in  his  only 
seemed  to  inspire  confidence,  and  give  a  new  impulse 
to  his  energies. 

A  great  enlargement  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom 
was  this  year  witnessed  tkroughout  Ireland,  nearly 
two  thousand  souls  being  added  to  the  society.  The 
conference,  in  referring  to  this,  says  that  this  revival 
of  the  work  of  God  "  was  partly  hy  means  of  our  dear 
brethren  the  Irish  missionaries,  whom  the  Lord  has 
made  peculiarly  successful  in  opening  new  places." 
But  had  it  been  accpiainted  mth  the  peculiar  and  ex- 
traordinary efforts  of  Mr.  Ouseley,  such  as  immediately 
after  came  to  my  knowledge,  it  would  very  likely  have 
given  him  a  distinct  place  in  the  record.  With  a  col- 
league physically  unable  to  assist  him,  and  an  ah-eady 
extensive  field  to  occupy,  he  regularly  preached  in 
the  streets  of  the  several  towns  through  which  he  tra- 
veled ;  still  making  advances  on  the  kingdom  of  dark- 
ness ;  attacking  the  enemy's  strongholds,  and  achieving 
conquests  through  the  power  of  the  gospel,  until  he  is 
led  cxultingly  to  exclaim,  in  the  language  of  the 
apostle,  "  Now  thanks  be  unto  God,  who  always  causeth 
us  to  triumph  in  Christ,  and  maketh  manifest  the  savor 
of  his  knowledge  by  us  in  every  place." 

Yours,  &c. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  193 


LETTER  X. 

Mr.  Ouaeley's  third  year  in  Galway  and  Clare— Obtains  Ivo  colleagues — Enteiing  into 
Killaloe — Field  of  lalwr— Romish  devotions  at  Kilmacduagh— His  traveling  to  remote 
places— Two  women  grinding  at  the  mill — Scene  in  the  west — Studious  habits  of 
Mr.  O.— Tilings  the  subject  of  his  study— Metaphors  appropriate — Sermon  ia 
Limerick  barrack — Out-door  preaching  varied — Villages — Assizes  towns— Fields — 
BaUinevcn — Engaged  in  building  preaching  houses — Visits  Connemara — Letter  to  Dr. 
Coke — Mr.  Maberly— Rev.  Adam  Averell— Roman  Catholic  clergy  contribute  to  the 
erection  of  MelhodUt  chapels— Scenery  of  Lough  Derg— Father  Keating— Parish 
priest  of  Castletown  A  rra- Letter  to  priest  Thayer— Mr.  Ouseley  in  danger  of  being 
greatly  injured  by  a  stone  thrown  at  him — Tour  through  Connaught — Controveray 
witJi  fother  Glin— Tumult  in  Loughrea— Persecution  in  Ballina— Assault  in  Westport, 
occasioned  by  father  Judge — Curious  encounter  with  a  priest  in  Erris — Travels 
through  the  province  of  Connaught— Returns  to  Dunmote— Attempted  persecution — 
Succeasfiil  labors  of  Mr.  O.,  for  five  years,  in  Clare  and  Galwny  mission. 

My  Dear  Friend, — I  have  at  length  reached  the 
time  in  the  career  of  Mr.  Ouseley  when  it  became  my 
privilege  to  enjoy  a  personal  intimacy  with  him,  from 
which  I  was  able  to  form  a  more  perfect  estimate  of 
his  labors  anil  hi.s  worth. 

The  connection  of  his  public  life  with  the  progress 
of  the  Irish  mission  has  compelled  and  encouraged  me 
to  enter  into  it  so  much  at  lai-ge  ;  and  I  have  purposely- 
delayed  the  notice  of  some  things  iu  his  movements 
and  habits  wliich,  though  iu  themselves  moi'e  private 
and  minute,  are  of  importance  to  the  entertaining  of  a 
correct  judgment  of  his  character,  and  which  could  be 
known  only  by  one  closely  associated  with  him.  To 
describe  the  public  scenes  of  succeeding  years  would, 
for  the  most  part,  be  but  a  repetition  of  those  already 
acted ;  I  shall  therefore  only  accasionally  refer  to  these, 
unless  where  some  incident  was  connected  with  them 
which  renders  them  worthy  of  specitd  notice. 

Anxiou.s  to  improve  the  advantage  gained  during 
the  two  preceding  years,  Mr.  Ouseley  strongly  urged 
the  necessity  of  a  reinforcement  of  the  mission ;  and 
13 


194         MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELHY. 


the  conference,  not  unfavorable  to  his  design,  granted 
him  two  young  men,  John  Nelson  and  WiUiam  Reilly, 
to  assist  him.  Why  the  latter  was  selected  for  that 
arduous  and  peculiar  service,  unless  on  account  of  his 
Milesian  name,  I  have  always  been  at  a  loss  to  know. 
I  received  the  appointment  as  from  God;  and  still 
believe,  however  inadequate  I  was  to  the  undertaking, 
it  was  in  accordance  with  the  design  of  divine  Pro\i- 
dence.  If  in  this  part  of  the  narrative  there  may  ap- 
pear, more  than  is  consistent,  a  reference  to  myself,  it 
is  owing  simply  to  the  fact  of  my  personal  connection 
with  the  mission,  and  my  being  so  long  associated  with 
Mr.  Ouseley  in  his  travels  and  his  toils.  I  may  here 
be  allowed  to  state,  that  such  was  the  extent  of  this 
field  of  labor,  and  such  the  incessant  attention  which 
it  required,  that  my  excellent  and  valued  brother 
Nelson  and  myself  could  not  see  one  another  for  six 
months,  and  then  we  had  to  travel  fifty  extra  miles  for 
the  purpose.  From  my  retiring  disposition,  my  want 
of  gifts  as  well  as  gi-ace,my  inexperience  and  defective 
knowledge  of  the  world,  I  was  but  ill-(jualified  for  the 
work  to  which  I  was  now  called.  When  I  had  left 
home,  and  friends,  and  Christian  associates,  I  for  a  few 
months  ministered  on  the  Carlow  circuit — little  more 
than  a  day's  ride  from  the  place  of  my  nativity ;  and 
there  I  mingled  with  some  of  the  excellent  of  the 
earth,  with  an  enlightened,  pious,  affectionate  people. 
Here  were  many  things  favorable  to  the  improvement 
of  my  mind,  and  much  to  soothe  and  encourage  me 
in  the  work.  But  on  the  mission  very  different  scenes 
of  travehng  and  labor  opened  before  me  ;  and  often, 
over  almost  trackless  wastes  of  moral  destitution,  I  had 
to  follow,  or  move  onward  with,  a  man  possessing 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  195 


"  A  soul  inured  to  pain, 

To  hardship,  ^ief,  and  loss ; 
Bold  to  take  up,  firm  to  sustain, 
Tlie  consecrated  cross." 

My  very  advantages  became  sources  of  discourage- 
ment ;  that  which  should  have  animated  to  enterprise, 
at  first  but  served  to  furnish  motives  for  despair;  and, 
indeed,  nothing  but  the  great,  unseen  power  of  God, 
could  have  sustained  my  mind  in  a  work  so  difficult 
and  onerous.  It  is  not  my  intention  to  impose  on  you 
the  task  of  reading  any  lengthened  extracts  from  my 
journal,  though  occasional  reference  to  it  may  be  al- 
lowed :  and  here  some  brief  reminiscences  of  the  first 
few  days  will  at  once  afford  some  notion  of  the  mission 
field,  faintly  depict  my  emotions  in  my  novel  situation, 
and  exhibit  the  first  impressions  made  on  my  mind  of 
the  character  of  Mr.  Ouscley. 

I  started  from  Dublin  on  AYednesday,  the  18th  of 
July,  with  instructions  from  my  superintendent  to 
preach  in  Burrlsokane  on  Sunday  morning,  the  22d, 
and  on  the  evening  of  that  day  eighteen  miles  further 
on,  in  the  town  of  Killaloe.  I  reached  Roscrea  on 
Saturday  evening,  where  I  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting 
the  Rev.  Robert  Crozier,  a  Methodist  preacher  pos- 
sessing gifts  of  a  high  order,  and  deserveilly  and  gene- 
rally beloved  and  respected  by  his  brethren.  He  per- 
ceived my  depression,  coming,  as  he  observed,  to  travel 
among  the  Shanavests  and  Caravats  of  Tipperary  and 
Clare;  and  he  soon,  by  his  kindness  and  ingenuity, 
succeeded  in  cheering  me.  This  timely  and  thoughtflil 
attention  has  not  been  forgotten  by  me.  Mr.  Moses 
Woods  and  Ixis  excellent  wife  hospitably  received  me 
into  their  house ;  and  early  next  morning  he  assisted 


196        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


me  to  prepare  for  my  journey  of  thirteen  miles.  I 
reached  Burrisokane  in  time  for  preaching  at  ten 
o'clock.  This  place  has  been  already  brought  under 
your  notice,  as  the  scene  of  the  successful  ministrations 
of  Mr.  Ouseley,  for  the  six  or  seven  previous  months. 
I  had  now  the  happiness  of  witnessing  the  character 
and  spirit  of  this  infant  society,  resembling,  as  it  did, 
the  church  in  primitive  days,  when 

"  They  all  were  of  one  heart  and  sou], 
And  only  love  inspired  the  whole." 

In  the  evening  I  reached  Killaloe,  and  there  met 
my  beloved  and  honored  friend,  Mr.  Ouseley.  Unfit 
as  I  was,  after  my  long  journey,  I  was  obhged  to 
preach.  When  the  sermon  was  closed,  Mr.  Ouseley 
delivered  an  exhortation,  in  which  he  related  his  early 
Christian  experience :  That  nineteen  years  before,  his 
divine  Master  had  taken  away  his  intolerable  burden 
of  sin  and  guilt,  which  memorable  event  took  place  in 
the  middle  of  May,  1791 ;  and  three  months  afterward, 
to  use  his  own  language,  his  "  great  Prince,  who  sits 
upon  the  throne,  said,  'Behold  I  make  all  things 
new.' "  It  was  pecidiarly  interesting  to  me,  that  the 
first  public  address  which  I  heard  him  deliver  on  the 
mission  should  embody  his  ovm  experience,  expressed, 
as  it  was,  with  a  tenderness  which  produced  the  most 
hallowing  effect  on  his  congregation. 

This  town  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  rising  ground 
on  the  western  bank  of  the  Shannon,  near  the  noted 
"  Falls  of  Killaloe,"  about  a  mile  from  Lough  Derg ; 
and  is  connected  with  Ballina,  county  of  Tipperary, 
by  an  ancient  bridge  of  nineteen  arches.  Mr.  Ouseley's 
first  visit  to  tliese  parts  I  should  have  noticed  at  an 
earlier  period,  but  that  my  sixth  letter,  where,  in  order 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  197 


of  time,  it  should  have  appeared,  has  been  already  too 
much  lengthened  by  details ;  and  J,  deemed  it  better 
to  reserve  the  account  of  it  for  this  place. 

In  the  summer  of  1801,  Mr.  Ouseley  rode  into  town 
with  ISIr.  Graham,  and,  as  their  custom  was,  on  the 
Lord's  day  they  attended  tlivine  service  in  the  church, 
at  the  close  of  which  they  retired,  mounted  their  horses, 
with  their  black  caps  on,  took  their  stand  where  four 
streets  met,  and  just  in  the  place  whither,  after  mass, 
the  Roman  Catholic  congi'egation  generally  resorted. 
They  first  gave  out  their  hymn  in  English,  but  per- 
ceiving some  indications  of  uneasiness  among  the 
people,  they  turned  it  into  Irish :  almost  instantly 
the  multitude  became  as  still  as  night,  and  continued 
80,  while,  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  the  missionaries 
preached  with  great  power.  IVIr.  Ouseley's  discourse 
was  overwhelming.  The  whole  congregation  seemed 
pierced  to  the  heart :  many  groans  were  heard,  many 
tears  were  shed,  and  eternity-  alone  shall  disclose  the 
results  of  that  day's  preaching.  Several  of  the  Roman 
Catholics,  who  until  then  had  not  heard  the  joyful  sound, 
were  brought  under  the  saving  intluenee  of  the  gospel ; 
and,  had  it  not  been  for  counteracting  and  hostile 
agencies,  scores  of  converts  would  have  been,  it  is 
believed,  the  visible  fruits  of  that  one  day's  ministration. 
Those  of  the  Roman  CathoUcs  who  had  become  favor- 
able to  the  truth  were  soon  subjected  to  bitter  per- 
secution, and  for  the  most  part  shrunk  from  the  dan- 
ger ;  while  those  who  remained  at  all  firm  were  cither 
secretly  or  forcibly  driven  into  banishment,  so  as  to 
place  them  beyond  the  reach  of  the  gospel  and  the 
heretics. 

A  year  after  this,  the  missionaries  again  visited  this 


198        MEMORIAL  01'  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


town.  Mr.  Thomas  Barber,  of  Cloughjordan,  to  whose 
kindness  I  am  in^debted  for  the  above  account,  and 
who  then  resided  in  Killaloe,  met  Messrs.  Graham 
and  Ouseley  on  the  bridge,  as  they  rode  into  town, 
and  relates  the  following  characteristic  anecdote: — 
There  were  groups  of  people  on  the  bridge.  Mr. 
Graham  rode  on,  but  Mr.  Ouseley  halted,  and  pointing 
to  a  neighboring  mountain,  said  to  some  of  them, 
"  Boys,  what  mountain  is  that  ?"  They  replied,  "  It 
is  the  slate-quarry  hill."  He  then  said,  "  Are  there 
good  slates  in  it  ?"  "  O  yes,  sir,  very  good."  Then  he 
preached  a  nice  though  short  sermon  on  the  words — 
good  and  very  good.  The  preaching  of  these  men  of 
God  was  at  this  time  also  attended  with  blessed 
effects. 

Mr.  Ouseley  witnessed  some  of  these  results  after 
many  days.  We  had  now  a  very  good  congregation 
on  each  side  of  the  river,  and  though  not  a  large,  yet 
a  good,  society. 

On  Monday,  th.e  23d,  I  proceeded,  in  company  Avith 
Mr.  Ouseley,  to  Ennis,  the  principal  town  of  the  county 
of  Clare,  and  the  centre  of  the  Galway  and  Clare  mis- 
sion. This  opened  new  scenes  and  associations  to  me, 
who,  until  tlie  last  few  days,  had  never  been  in  Mun- 
ster  province,  and  had  not  until  then  had  any  inter- 
course with  Mr.  Ouseley.  The  day  was  peculiarly 
fine,  and  the  late  rains  after  long-continued  drought 
had  produced  an  agreeable  freshness  in  the  air,  which 
enabled  me  more  fully  to  enjoy  the  conversation  of  my 
excellent  friend.  I  soon  discovered  Mr.  Ouseley  to  be, 
what  he  afterward  appeared  before  the  world — a  man 
of  varied  and  extensive  knowledge,  of  profound  and 
just  thinking,  of  great  and  accurate  observation,  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  199 


of  much  godly  wisdom.  Nor  need  I  add  that  all  these 
were  combined  with  ardent  love  to  Christ,  inflexible 
regard  to  truth,  and  intense  zeal  for  the  salvation  of 
immortal  souls.  Such,  however,  were  the  impressions 
made  on  my  mind  during  my  very  first  day's  traveling 
with  Mr.  Ouselcy. 

At  tliis  time  the  Leitrim  regiment  of  militia  was 
quartered  in  Ennis.  Many  of  the  ofiicers  were  favorable 
to  Methodism,  and  several  of  the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  were  in  our  societj'.  A  gracious 
work  was  among  them,  and  not  a  few,  through  the 
ministry  of  Mr.  Ouseley,  had  been  brought  to  a  saving 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  This  was  most  favorable  to 
our  infant  cause  in  that  town  ;  it  served  to  give  con- 
sistence to  the  society  ;  besides  that  the  presence  of  the 
military  gave  us  much  greater  facility  and  security,  in 
preaching  in  the  streets.  Mr.  Ouseley  was  peculiarly 
interested  for  men  in  the  army,  and  seemed  to  think 
that  they  had  a  more  than  common  claim  on  his  regard. 
It  was  by  some  pious  soldiei-s  in  the  barrack  of  Dun- 
more,  that  the  Methodist  preachers,  in  the  year  1791, 
were  invited  to  that  town,  by  means  of  which  the 
gospel  was  first  brought  to  his  ears  by  Messrs.  Thomas 
Davis,  David  Gordon,  &c.  At  that  time,  too,  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  Quarter-master  Robins,  of  the 
4th  dragoons,  who,  though  but  a  private  member  in 
society,  was  made  a  great  blessing  to  him  in  the  incipient 
stages  of  his  religious  experience.  "  He  was,  in  the 
hand  of  God,"  says  Mr.  Ouseley,  "  the  instrument 
of  leading  my  mind  to  serious  considerations,  which, 
blessed  be  God,  issued  in  my  conversion  !"  These  cir- 
cumstances, no  doubt,  gave  an  additional  motive  to  the 
mind  of  Mr.  Ouseley  in  favor  of  soldiers,  and  made 


200    "   MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

him  the  more  anxious  to  preach  to  them  the  word 
of  life. 

In  Ennis,  on  this  occasion,  I  was  first  introduced  to 
Mrs.  Ouseley,  from  whose  acquaintance,  for  several 
years,  I  derived  no  small  advantage.  Thursday  26th, 
after  spending  three  happy  days  with  my  friends  liere, 
I  commenced  my  plan  of  traveling,  and  went  to  a 
place  about  eight  miles  distant,  not  far  from  the  town 
of  Corrifin,  to  one  of  those  recesses  discovered  by  Mr. 
Ouseley.  Lonely,  and  heavy  at  heart,  I  rode  through 
a  country  rude  and  uninviting ;  the  rocks  wliich 
presented  themselves  to  the  eye,  almost  unrelieved 
by  any  cultivation,  resembling  but  too  truly  the  moral 
sterility  which  was  spread  around.  It  was  not  until 
now  that  I  felt  the  full  pressure  of  my  situation,  my 
total  want  of  qualification  for  such  an  onerous  under- 
taking as  that  on  which  I  had  entered.  The  thoughts 
of  home,  and  Christian  associates  whom,  some  few 
months  before,  I  had  left;  and  of  the  societies  on  a 
regular  circuit,  among  which  I  had  for  some  months 
previously  labored — all  rushed  into  my  mind ;  and  the 
suggestions  of  the  great  enemy,  in  connection  with  the 
spiritual  desolation  which  surrounded  me,  well  nigh 
overwhelmed  my  broken  spirit.  My  heart  was  wrung 
with  anguish !  I  wept  aloud,  and  cried  out  in  accents 
of  real  distress,  "  O,  sin,  sin,  what  hast  thou  done  ! 
How  hast  thou,  not  only  riven  those  tender  bonds 
which  endear  social  life,  but  spread  misery  and  death 
throughout  the  world !  But '  a  necessity  is  laid  upon 
me  ;  yea,  wo  is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel !' " 
I  heard  once  more  the  blessed  invitation  of  my  Lord 
and  Saviour :  "  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and 
are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."   I  humbled 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  201 


myself — cast  myself  on  liis  unchangeable  love  and 
power — and,  "coming  as  at  first  I  came,"  I  found 
rest  to  my  soul.  In  a  short  time  after  this  conflict  I 
reached  my  destination,  and  preached  to  a  goodly 
number,  who  ardently  longed  to  hear  the  ^vord  of  life. 
Here  too  a  small  society  was  formed  of  members  who 
■were  "  as  lights  in  a  dark  place." 

Friday,  27th.  In  passing  the  celebrated  Kilmacduagh, 
on  my  way  to  Gort,  I  was  attracted  by  a  great  crowd 
of  people  in  irregular  movement,  at  a  short  distance, 
about  the  ruin  of  an  ancient  monastery.  I  turned  to 
see  what,  to  me,  at  first  seemed  a  tumultuous  assembly ; 
but  by  perceiving  a  bush  that  gi-ew  near  a  well  on  the 
road  side,  covered  with  old  rags  and  shreds  of  cloth,  of 
a  variety  of  colors,  I  became  aware  that  they  were  con- 
gregated for  a  religious  purpose.  "RTien  I  rode  up  to 
the  place,  such  a  sight  was  presented  to  my  eye  as  I 
had  never  beheld :  men  and  women  promiscuously,  in 
the  most  indecent  and  unbecoming  manner,  walking  on 
their  bare  knees,  over  rough  gravel  and  stone ;  their 
hands  clasped  over  their  heads,  lest  they  should  in  their 
progi'css  derive  any  assistance  from  them ;  while  you 
could  have  traced  theii'  track  by  the  blood  that  stream- 
ed from  their  mangled  knees.  I  turned  with  a  sick 
heart  from  the  revolting  and  disgusting  spectacle.  In 
another  stage  of  the  penance  there  were  some  running 
round  the  extensive  ruin ;  while  others  descended  into 
a  narrow  cell  as  a  purgatory,  not  unlike  that  described 
in  Lough  Derg.  At  a  distance,  on  the  plain,  stood  the 
stump  of  a  large  tree,  which  had  been  for  the  most  part 
cut  away  piecemeal,  as  afibrding  a  charm  against  every 
evil.  Such  are  the  frightful  supei-stitions  by  which 
myriads  in  our  unhappy  country  are  deluded.    As  the 


202         MEMOXUAL  Ul-   GJDEON  OUSELEY. 

views  which  they  entertain  of  the  virtue  of  these  ob- 
servances will  be  best  explained  by  one  of  the  most 
shrewd  and  knowing  among  themselves,  I  shall  set  down 
a  conversation  which  took  place  at  the  time  between 
myself  and  a  person  who,  for  his  superior  sanctity  and 
devotion,  had  been  raised  to  the  office  of  public  in- 
structor of  those  persons  engaged  in  these  mortifica- 
tions. He  was  a  proficient  in  everything  connected 
with  the  rites  of  Kilmacduagh ;  and  he  kindly  tender- 
ed his  services  to  me  as  imj  guide.  After  he  had  led 
me  over  the  whole  ground,  the  dialogue  commenced : — 

Missionary.  You  seem  very  well  acquainted  with  the 
nature  of  these  religious  performances. 

Guide.  Yes,  indeed  I  am. 

Missionary.  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  inform  me 
why  those  people  expose  themselves  thus,  and  are  cut- 
ting themselves  in  such  a  frightful  manner  ? 

Guide.  O,  for  penance;  for  the  benefit  of  their 
souls. 

Missionary.  What  is  the  cause  of  so  much  of  that 
tree  yonder  being  cut  away  ? 

Guide.  I'll  tell  you:  the  saint  of  this  place,  IVIac- 
duagh,  traveled  round  the  world  on  his  knees  till  he 
came  to  a  place  below  there,  [pointing  to  the  spot,]  and 
there  a  girdle,  he  had  round  him,  fell  off;  there  was  a 
tree  standing  there  which  received  such  viilue  that  a 
bit  of  it  would  preserve  from  sickness  and  accident, 
and,  if  thrown  into  a  house  on  fire,  would  put  it  out. 

Missionary.  And  where  is  that  tree  now  ? 

Guide.  0,  it 's  all  cut  away. 

Missionary.  Did  it  then  transfer  its  efficacy  to  the 
one  which  they  now  arc  cutting  away  ? 

Guide.  When  the  first  one  was  all  gone,  why,  they 


-MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUfeELEY.  203 


began  at  the  other.  Do,  sir,  take  a  piece  of  it  with 
you ;  it  will  keep  you  from  all  harm ;  nothing  can  ever 
happen  to  you  while  you  have  it  about  you ;  nor  can 
any  house  be  burned  where  it  is. 

Missionary.  Thank  you;  I  shall  not  mind  it  now. 
You  seem  so  very  well  acquainted  with  these  perform- 
ances, I  suppose  you  have  been  frequently  engaged  in 
them  yourself;  have  you? 

Guide.  Not  as  often  as  I  ought  for  myself;  but  I 
often  have  to  perform  penance  for  other  people. 

Missionary.  How  is  that  ? 

Guide.  A\'hy,  when  any  of  them  ai-e  sick,  or  theii- 
children  sick,  they  make  a  vow  to  the  saint,  that  if 
they  recover,  they  w^ill  go  through  so  many  rounds 
here ;  then,  when  they  don't  like  to  go  through  them 
themselves,  they  get  me  to  perform  their  vows  for 
them. 

Missionary.  Do  they  not  pay  you  for  thus  pei-form- 
ing  their  vows  for  them  ? 

Guide.  O  yes;  if  they  didn't,  there  would  be  no 
virtue  in  the  thing  at  all. 

Duiing  this  diiilogue,  which,  on  the  part  of  the 
devotee,  was  iutemiixed  with  several  oaths,  he  fre- 
quently vociferated  curses  on  such  of  the  penitents 
as  had  not  performed  their  rounds  according  to  his  in- 
structions. I  expressed  my  unbelief  with  regard  to  a 
system  so  preposterous  and  unchristian :  and,  to  add  to 
the  absurdity,  where  the  principal  actor,  himself  a  pro- 
fane wretch,  could  perform  works  of  merit  and  supere- 
rogation for  the  good  of  the  souls  of  others.  Ah '." 
he  exclaimed,  "  you  are  not  Irish."  "  Indeed  I  am," 
was  the  reply ;  "  I  have  never  been  in  England."  "  If 
you  are  not  English,"  he  retorted,  "  you  belong  to  them, 


204       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


SO  you  do."  I  then  administered  some  suitable  admo- 
nition, and  retired  from  the  scene  of  moral  degradation 
with  sorrow  and  disgust. 

You  will  not,  I  hope,  think  these  descriptions  tedious, 
as  they  are  given  merely  for  the  purpose  of  affording 
some  outline  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  field  of  labor,  and  of  the 
moral  state  of  his  countrymen,  b}'  which  his  pious  soul 
was  so  deeply  affected.  To  many  of  the  places  in  this 
extensive  district  did  he  travel  with  me  for  the  purpose 
of  preaching  in  the  streets  of  the  several  towns,  and  of 
introducing  me  to  our  friends  in  the  preaching  places, 
particularly  in  remote  parts  of  the  country,  to  which  he 
had  found  his  way.  Many  houses  of  respectable  fai"^ 
mers  were  opened  to  receive  the  word ;  and,  in  some 
instances,  the  mansions  of  the  more  opulent;  but  the 
cottages  of  the  poor,  and  of  the  small  farmers,  had 
been  searched  out  by  this  servant  of  God,  and  there 
to  many  he  preached  the  gospel  with  power  and  great 
effect. 

From  what  I  had  conceived  of  the  public  life  and 
labors  of  Mr.  Ouseley,  no  leisure  would  have  remained 
on  his  hands  to  pay  attention  to  smaller  places,  or 
preach  in  remote  country  districts,  much  less  form  so- 
cieties there,  frequently  visit  them,  foster  them,  and 
build  them  up  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel.  Yet  he  did 
all  this  with  an  assiduity  and  perseverance  which  sur- 
prised me.  His  rides  were  sometimes  very  long ;  and 
any  town  through  which  he  had  to  pass  was  sure  to 
hear  from  his  lips,  both  in  English  and  Irish,  the  word 
of  life.  One  day,  in  the  beginning  of  our  first  year 
together,  we  had  ridden  several  miles  to  one  of  the 
places  above  described,  and  halted  in  Ennistymond,  a 
town  near  the  seacoast,  about  fifteen  miles  from  Ennis. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  205 


Here  he  sounded  an  alarm;  and  after  his  having 
preached  with  great  vehemence  and  power,  we  passed 
on  five  miles  further  to  a  remote  neighborhood,  and 
never  tasted  refreshment  until  the  meeting  was  over 
at  nine  o'clock  at  night  This  was,  however,  uniformly 
the  case  in  this  place.  There  was  nothing  like  a  win- 
dow in  the  house  :  there  was  one  broken  pane  of  glass, 
a  sort  of  irregular  pofygon,  stuck  in  a  green  sod,  which 
served  for  a  sash-frame,  and  this  was  the  only  means 
of  admitting  light  into  the  apartment  in  which  we  slept. 
Next  day  we  proceeded  to  a  place,  though  more  inland, 
still  more  remote  from  a  town.  We  reached  our  des- 
tination earlier  in  the  afternoon  than  we  had  on  the 
day  previous,  and  Mr.  Ouseley,  as  was  his  custom,  as 
soon  as  he  sat  down  in  our  lodging,  sung  a  hymn  of 
praise  to  almighty  God  for  preserving  and  redeeming 
mercies.  Two  women  were  the  only  persons  then  at 
home,  the  men  being  employed  at  some  distance.  The 
old  provisions  of  the  year  had  been  exhausted;  the 
potatoes  not  yet  ripe ;  and,  to  provide  a  dinner,  one 
of  the  women  went  to  the  corn  field,  brought  some 
sheaves  of  oats,  scorched  them  over  the  fire,  and,  in  a 
short  time,  we  had  a  practical  illustration  of  the  divine 
word,  ,"  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill." 
About  this  time  Dr.  Adam  Clarke  gives  the  etymology 
of  the  hand-mills  or  querns,  and  states,  "  So  late  as  half 
a  centuiy  ago  I  have  seen  these  querns  or  hand-mills 
in  these  kingdoms."  But  here  the  Irish  missionary 
and  his  companions  were  supplied  with  their  dinner  by 
means  of  the  querns,  in  a  remote  district  in  the  county 
of  Clare. 

But  far  higher  were  the  designs  of  the  Christian 
missionary  than  to  furnish  matter  for  the  antiquarian. 


206        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


Hpre,  and  in  many  places  like  it,  -were  hundreds  of 
immortal  souls,  wto  would  never  have  heard  the  voice 
of  a  gospel  minister,  if  not  sought  out  and  followed  to 
these  remote  regions,  to  show  them  the  way  of  life. 
Before  I  call  your  attention  to  another  pai'ticular  in  Mr. 
Ouseley's  character,  I  wish  to  lead  you  to  one  more 
of  these  places  whither  the  gospel  was  carried  by  the 
subject  of  this  Memorial.  Early  in  the  autumn  of 
this  year,  Mr.  Ouseley  directed  me  to  a  place  in  the 
west  of  tlie  county  of  Clare,  many  miles  beyond  the 
town  of  Kilrush,  and  not  far  from  the  light-house  at 
Loop-head.  Passing  Kilkee,  than  an  inconsiderable 
watering-place,  and  touching  on  a  small  creek,  on  the 
strand  of  which  were  drawn  up  some  fishermen's  car 
noes,  I  advanced  westward,  on  a  road  resembling  a 
goat  track,  and  found  myself  on  the  peninsula  called 
the  West,  bounded  on  the  west  and  north-west  by  the 
Atlantic,  and  on  the  south-east  by  the  river  Shannon. 
The  land,  rising  before  me  and  on  the  left,  bare  and 
mountainous,  while  the  cliffs  on  the  right,  of  ten'ific 
height  and  form,  bounding  the  ocean,  and  presenting  a 
bold  and  imposing  aspect,  wakened  in  my  mind  new  and 
wonderful  sensations.  Nor  was  my  surprise  much  less 
at  the  thought,  how  this  retired  spot  could  have  been 
explored.  I  could  not  repress  my  feelings  at  the  mo- 
ment, and  audibly  exclaimed,  "  O,  Mr.  Ouseley,  Mr. 
Ouseley,  how  did  you  find  out  this  lonely  retreat !" 
Proceeding  still  further,  I  at  length  descried  a  neat 
cottage  on  the  moor,  a  short  distance  from  the  shore, 
which  proved  to  be  my  destination.  The  family  it  con- 
tained had  received  the  word,  and  formed  a  little  churcli 
in  the  wilderness.  The  solitary  place  was  glad,  and  this 
spot  in  "the  desert  rejoiced  and  blossomed  as  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  207 


rose."  To  tliese  and  some  few  more  I  ministered  the 
word  of  life,  with  as  pure  delight  as  to  the  crowded 
congregation  in  the  city. 

As  evening  approached  I  wandered  toward  the  sea ; 
and,  standing  on  the  most  elevated  part  of  the  cUft',  I 
pondered  on  the  works  of  an  Almighty  hand.  But 
such  a  sight  I  had  not  anticipated.  The  evening  was 
unusually  fine ;  all  around  tranquil  beyond  descrip- 
tion; and  naught  to  break  the  silence  of  the  hour, 
save  the  flapping  of  sea-fowl's  wing,  for  the  sound  of 
the  wave  wliich  washed  tlie  base  of  the  cliff  did  not 
reach  the  ear.  The  sky  was  cloudless,  and  the  azure 
vault  was  reflected  by  the  deep  profound. 

"  When  not  a  breath  disturbs  the  deep  serene, 
And  not  a  cloud  o'ercasts  the  solemn  scene." 

All  the  visions  of  the  grand  and  beautiful  which  in 
childhood  had  flitted  before  my  fancy  were  here 
outdone.  I  lingered  on  the  lofly  summit  until,  with 
indescribable  glory,  as  a  mass  of  molten  gold, 

"  The  setting  sun  adorn'd  the  coast, 
His  beams  entire,  his  fierceness  lost." 

I  retired  under  devout  and  thrilling  emotions ;  and, 
quite  in  keeping  with  the  situation,  a  hammock,  com- 
posed of  gulls'  feathers,  suspended  from  the  roof  of  the 
cottage,  invited  to  repose,  in  which,  after  the  diversified 
scenes  of  the  day,  I  comfortably  slept.  But  not  all 
the  wonders  of  nature,  or  monuments  of  art,  since 
beheld,  could  efface  the  magnificent  images  impressed 
on  my  heart  by  the  evening  scene  on  the  iron-bound 
coast  of  Clare. 

Next  morning  I  returned  by  another  way,  across 
the  peninsula,  from  the  elevated  parts  of  which  I  had 


208        MEMORIAI-  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


extensive  view  of  the  KeiTy  Mountains,  and  of  the 
estuary  of  the  river  Shannon,  which  sweeps  sixty 
miles  along  the  banks  of  the  county  of  Clare.  On  the 
right  is  Carrigaholt,  a  small  seaport,  near  which  I 
passed,  in  which,  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  the 
Rev.  George  ^Vliitefield  landed,  and  where  he  was 
generously  and  hospitably  entertained  by  Mr.  M'Ma- 
hon.  This  fact  afl'ords  a  greater  interest  to  the  place 
than  even  the  majestic  and  extensive  view,  or  the  ruin 
of  the  ancient  castle  of  the  M'Mahons,  that  once  stood 
in  proud  defiance  on  the  summit  of  the  rock. 

During  the  years  I  had  the  privilege  of  traveling 
with  Mr.  Ouseley,  I  had  frequent,  if  not  constant, 
opportunities  of  witnessing  his  deep  and  habitu;J  devo- 
tion of  spirit.  He  was  pre-eminently  a  man  of  prayer. 
His  ardent  zeal  and  vehemence  in  his  public  minis- 
trations were  but  the  result  of  his  private  meditations, 
and  his  earnest  wrestling  with  God  for  poor  sinners, 
and  for  the  accompanying  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  this,  too, 
under  the  most  solemn  impressions  of  the  mysteries  of 
Calvary.  Some  of  the  most  hallowed  reminiscences 
associated  with  the  character  of  that  saintly  man  are 
those  in  which  I  witnessed  his  pure  and  fervent  devo- 
tion. He  made  it  a  rule  when  we  traveled  in  com- 
pany, (and  sometimes  we  were  several  weeks  together.) 
that  when  we  retired  we  should  alternately  pray  with 
and  for  each  other,  and  for  the  work  in  which  we 
were  engaged.  But  his  devout  breathings  when  alone, 
which  I  often  overheard,  were  most  affecting.  It  was 
difficult  on  such  occasions  to  determine  whether  the 
love  of  lost  men,  or  the  love  of  Christ,  jiredominated. 
"  gracious  Master !  my  gracious  Master !"  had 
generally  an  accompaniment  of,  "  O  poor  lost  sinners  I 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  209 


O  my  deluded  countrymen !  O  Lord,  save  my  coun- 
try !"  Often  have  I  listened  with  deep  emotion  to 
these  pious  sounds  echoing  through  the  prophet's 
chamber.  Mr.  Noble,  who  was  his  companion  on  the 
mission  for  eight  years,  says :  "  Indeed  Mr.  Ouseley 
could  not  be  satisfied  in  holding  any  meeting  unless 
souls  were  brought  to  God.  For  this  he  studied,  for 
tliis  he  preached,  for  this  he  prayed.  Never  shall  I 
forget  the  exertions  of  this  faithful  man  of  God  to  pro- 
mote the  glory  of  the  Redeemer  and  the  salvation  of 
immortal  souls.  C)  how  often  have  I  known  this  blessed 
man,  when  all  the  family  with  whom  he  lodged  had 
retired  to  rest — how  ofleu  have  I  known  him  to  spend 
hours  together  wrestling  with  God  in  ardent,  mighty 
prayer  for  the  conversion  of  lost  souls !  And  he  would 
plead  -(vith  God,  in  great  earnestness, '  If  thy  presence 
go  not  with  me.  carry  us  not  up  hence.'  " 

Next  to  his  spirit  of  prayer  were  his  habits  of  read- 
ing and  study.  I  know  some  persons  have  supposed 
that  Mr.  Ouseley's  sermons  were  mere  extemporaneous 
effusions,  without  any  previous  forethought;  but  unless 
when  some  passing  circumstance  occasioned  a  departure 
from  it,  they  were  generally  the  result  of  a  preconceived 
plan.  Little  leisure  in  the  ordinary  way,  indeed,  was 
allowed  for  literary  pursuits ;  yet  he  was  never  idle. 
During  a  journey,  whether  long  or  short,  he  generally, 
if  not  uniformly,  carried  a  book ;  and  it  was  his  habit 
to  read  while  on  horseback  :  this,  with  a  companion,  at 
intervals  gave  rise  to  observations  most  instructive  and 
agreeable.  Sometimes  he  would  have  a  work  selected 
from  the  best  of  our  old  divines  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, or  non-conformist  churches ;  Gallagher's  Irish 
Sermons ;  the  Council  of  Trent,  in  Latin  ;  or  his  Greek 


210         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Testament.  Thus  did  Mr.  Quseley  redeem  the  time, 
and  prepare  his  mind  for  the  work  in  which  he  was 
engaged.  When  he  reached  his  place,  while  he  was 
instant  in  season  and  out  of  season  with  all  the  inmates, 
from  the  drawing  room  to  the  kitchen,  he  soon  retired, 
(and  his  pen  and  ink  were  ever  at  hand,)  to  resume 
some  piece  in  which  he  had  beau  engaged,  or  to  com- 
mence a  new  subject.  His  sermons,  too,  were  subjects 
of  close  study :  not,  indeed,  the  style  or  diction  so 
much  as  the  tliinfj^  wliich  were  contained  in  his  dis- 
courses. When  necessarily  engaged  in  visitation,  he 
seldom  lost  sight  of  the  subject  on  which  he  next  in- 
tended to  preach.  When  in  the  city  of  Limerick  at 
one  time,  soliciting  subscriptions  toward  the  erection 
of  chapels,  in  the  business  of  which  he  was  then  very 
much  occupied,  a  respectable  friend,  Mr.  Thomas 
Tracey,  accompanied  him.  Jilr.  Ouseley  frequently  in 
the  course  of  the  day  spoke  most  impressively  to  those 
with  whom  he  conversed,  on  the  several  topics  con- 
nected with  the  new  birth.  He  preached  in  the  even- 
ing, and  Mr.  T.  was  one  of  his  audience :  the  new 
birth  was  the  subject ;  and  powerfiilly  did  he  explain 
its  nature,  and  urge  its  importance  on  those  present. 
Mr.  Tracey  exclaimed,  "  I  always  wondered  how  jMr. 
Ouseley  could  get  time  to  study  his  sermons.  I  am 
not  now  surprised ;  for  I  perceive  that  wherever  he 
goes  the  whole  day,  or  however  busily  employed,  he 
never  fails  to  keep  before  his  mind  the  subject  on 
which  he  is  to  preach.  No  wonder  that  he  is  always 
ready  to  address  a  congregation  ;  for  his  thoughts  arc 
engaged  as  if  in  his  study." 

Ml".  Ouseley  was  peculiarly  happy  and  successful  in 
the  use  of  metaphors  in  the  illustration  of  divine  truth. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  211 


These,  however,  by  no  means  bore  the  mark  of  being 
studied ;  they  were  generally,  after  the  example  of  the 
great  Teacher,  drawn  from  some  incident,  or  from  the 
surrounding  scenery.  I  shall  refer  to  one  occasion  on 
which,  in  his  discourse,  he  gave  evidence  of  his  peculiar 
talent  in  this  way.  He  had  been  invited  to  preach  in 
Limerick,  at  the  barrack  of  the  Sligo  militia.  My 
friend,  the  Rev.  William  Ferguson,  who  was  then 
stationed  in  Limerick,  was  among  his  hearers,  and 
has  kindly  furnished  me  wth  an  outline  of  his  sermon. 
"  The  place  and  circumstances,"  says  Mr.  F.,  "  made 
Mr.  Ouseley's  remarks  peculiarly  striking.  It  was  in 
the  barrack  of  tlie  Sligo  militia — the  Shannon  flowing 
under  the  windows  of  the  room  in  which  he  was  preach- 
ing. The  text  was  Proverbs  xxii,  3.  After  describing 
the  prudent  man — ichere  he  hideth  himself — and  his 
state  of  perfect  safety,  he  proceeded  to  describe  the 
character  of  the  simple :  '  A  man  without  the  know- 
ledge of  God,  and  a  stranger  to  the  wisdom  from  above. 
He  may  be  very  acute  in  transacting  the  business  of 
life — an  eminent  statesman,  a  profound  philosopher, 
an  eminent  artist,  or  a  distinguished  scholar — but 
he  passes  on  according  to  the  course  of  this  world,  and 
dies  unconverted.  His  punishment: — the  place — 
the  company — the  dueatiox.'  Then  with  more  im- 
pressive emphasis  he  added  : — '  If  you  were  to  count 
a  thousand  years  for  every  drop  of  water  that  ever 
flowed  in  the  Shannon,  from  Drumshambo*  to  tlic  sea, 
it  would  be  but  a  point,  when  compared  with  that 
eternity  through  which  he  will  have  to  eijdure  the 
wrath  of  God.'    It  made  an  impression  on  my  mind," 

*  A  small  town  near  the  month  of  the  Shannon,  well  known  to  his 
hearers. 


212       MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Mr.  Ferguson  adds,  "  tbat  can  never  be  effaced.  Most 
of  his  hearers  were  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  town 
mentioned,  about  one  hundred  miles  from  the  place 
where  they  were  assembled — the  mighty  river  flowing 
on  under  their  windows  to  the  sea  in  a  continuous 
current :  it  had  flowed  for  six  thousand  years — it  was 
rolling  on  still.  What  an  emblem  of  duration  !  It 
was  a  most  solemn  and  instructive  sermon  " 

Mr.  Ousclcy  never,  if  possible,  let  an  opportunity 
pass  which  he  did  not  endeavor  to  improve,  whether 
riding  on  the  way,  or  in  company  at  the  houses  of  our 
friends.  I  remember  spending  an  evening  in  his  com- 
pany, in  the  house  of  a  friend  in  Burrisokane,  where  a 
large  company  were  at  tea.  A  young  lady  sat  at  his 
right  hand,  who  had  not  discovered  any  indications  of 
seriousness ;  he  turned  to  her  sister-in-law,  who  was  on 
his  left,  a  person  of  piety  and  sense,  and  said,  "  Is  this 
young  lady  born  again  ?"  The  lady  replied, "  She  is 
of  age,  ask  her."  That  moment  the  young  lady  was 
filled  with  deep  emotion — cried  to  God  for  mercy,  and 
tasted  that  the  Lord  was  gracious.  The  whole  com- 
pany felt  under  the  divine  influence;  such,  indeed, 
was  his  general  mode  of  spending  a  social  hour  with 
his  friends  that  these  opportunities  were  turned  into 
means  of  grace.  Very  often  his  occasional  conversa- 
tions, as  he  traveled,  were  attended  with  similar  gra- 
cious effects.  One  instance  of  this  kind,  Mr.  Noble 
mentions.  "  On  one  occasion,"  says  Mr.  N.,  "  as  he 
was  traveling  in  the  county  of  Wicklow,  and  while 
his  horse  stopped  to  drink  in  a  stream  that  ran  across 
the  road,  Mr.  O.  saw  a  young  woman  standing  at  her 
father's  door ;  he  went  toward  her,  took  her  by  the 
hand,  spoke  to  her  a  few  moments  about  her  soul,  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  213 


at  parting  prayed  that  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  might 
rest  upon  her.  About  two  years  afterward  he  happened 
to  be  in  the  country  :  after  preaching  in  a  gentleman's 
house  in  that  neighborhood,  a  young  man  came  up  to 
him,  and  invited  him  to  his  house.  The  next  evening, 
on  his  arrival,  the  lady  of  the  house  received  him  in 
the  most  affectionate  manner,  saying,  '  Mr.  Ouseley,  I 
believe  you  don't  know  me.'  He  replied, '  No,  my  dear, 
I  do  not'  She  then  recalled  the  circumstance  above 
narrated  to  his  recollection,  and  added,  '  I  am  the  per- 
son you  addressed  on  that  occasion  ;  up  to  that  period 
I  had  known  nothing  of  the  plan  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ,  but  the  observ'ations  you  made  resulted 
in  my  conversion :  I  am  now  a  married  woman ;  the 
young  man  who  invited  you  is  my  husband,  and  is  a 
class-leader.  The  Lord  is  with  us,  and  is  blessing  us ; 
and  we  now  rejoice  to  see  under  our  roof  my  father  in 
the  gospel.' " 

I  have  not  anywhere  noticed  any  remark  upon 
Mr.  Ouseley's  mode  of  out-door  preaching  in  smaller 
places.  From  a  variety  of  circumstances,  he  seldom 
arrived  at  an  early  hour  in  the  day ;  but  time  enough, 
if  no  chapel  was  there,  to  secure  a  house  for  preaching 
in  at  night :  sometimes  about  the  hour  in  which  men 
were  returning  from  field  labor,  and  the  villagers 
loitered  an  hour  before  their  supper.  At  this  time 
would  Mr.  Ouseley  stand  up,  perhaps  under  the 
spreading  branches  of  an  ancient  tree,  "with  seats 
beneath  the  shade,"  and  give  out  a  verse  of  a  hymn, 
such  as, — 

"  Sweet  muse,  descend,  and  bless  the  shade." 

This,  sung  to  a  plaintive  Lnsh  air,  would  produce  an 
inunediate  movement  to  the  spot ;  and  then  would  he 


214        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


turn,  perhaps,  to  a  very  favorite  hymn,  and  sing  a 
verse  in  English  and  Irish  alternately.  I  set  down  a 
verse  in  both  languages : — 

"  Behold  the  Saviour  of  mankind 
Nail'd  to  the  shameful  tree  ! 
How  vast  tlie  love  that  him  inclined 
To  bleed  and  die  for  thee  !" 

Feuchaidh  air  Slanuighthoir  an  domhan 

Fairneatha  dhou  cran  go  geur ! 
Naeh  mor  e'n  gradh  do  thug  e  anuas 

Chum  bas  dfuUang  deun  go  leir  1" 

He  would  then  address  the  congregation  in  English 
and  Irish.  The  effect  would  be  generally  very  great ; 
preaching  published  for  chapel,  or  barn,  or  dwelling- 
house,  as  the  case  might  be ;  and  great  numbers  would 
flock  to  hear  the  word. 

In  larger  towns  he  generally  sat  on  his  horse — and 
though  he  passed  through  the  crowd  with  his  black 
cap  on,  not  seeming  to  notice  anything,  he  eyed  everj'- 
thing  around — placed  himself  before  a  shop-window — 
an  apothecary's  shop  if  possible,  and  the  proprietor  a 
Roman  Catholic;  and  there  he  would  preach  as  has 
been  often  described.  Another  thing  is  worthy  of  re- 
mark : — Mr.  Ouseley  endeavored  to  be  in  the  county 
towns  at  the  tune  of  assizes ;  and  on  the  Lord's  day, 
after  service  was  over  in  churches  and  chapels,  he 
would  stand  forth,  and  to  thousands  of  all  ranks,  of 
town  and  country,  to  lawyers,  magistrates,  jurors,  yeo- 
men, and  lower  orders,  boldly  and  affectionately  de- 
clare to  the  multitude  the  free  and  full  salvation  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  a  part  of  his  mode,  wliich, 
as  well  as  that  mentioned  above,  though  I  have  not 
seen  noticed,  I  have  often  witnessed.   Toward  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  215 


close  of  our  first  year,  wliicli  was  wonderfully  success- 
ful, Mr.  Ouseley  held  a  field  meeting  in  the  lawn  of 
Ballineven,  near  Burrisokane,  kindly  given  for  the 
purpose,  by  our  excellent  friend  James  Wilson,  Esq. 
Here,  it  was  calculated,  many  thousands  assembled, 
not  only  from  the  surrounding  towns,  and  from  every 
part  of  Lower  Ormond,  but  from  the  adjoining  coun- 
ties. I  never  since  witnessed  such  a  multitude  at  a 
field  meeting.  Mr.  Clegg,  from  Cloughjordan,  first 
preached,  then  ilr.  Ouseley;  and  O  with  what  effect! 
It  was  indeed  in  demonsti-ation  of  the  Spirit,  and  of 
power."  I  closed  that  part  of  the  service  with  an  ex- 
hortation. You  will  thus  perceive  that  Mr.  Ouseley'a 
method  of  out-door  preaching  was  as  varied  as  the 
wants  of  the  country  required,  and  as  the  circum- 
stances admitted;  suiting  his  endeavors  to  every  case, 
and  ever  watcliful  for  new  opportunities  to  run  into 
every  open  door,  and  cry,  "  Behold  the  Lamb !"  The 
work  so  increased,  and  the  word  so  prevailed,  that  a 
growing  demand  was  made  for  the  erection  of  places 
of  worship,  as  the  temporary  places  obtained  were  pre- 
carious in  their  tenure,  and,  in  some  instances,  incon- 
venient and  small.  This  opened  a  new  field  of  enter- 
prise for  Mr.  Ouseley.  In  eight  several  towns  he  pro- 
jected the  erection  of  chapels,  or  the  fitting  up  of  houses 
exclusively  appropi'iated  to  the  worship  of  almighty 
God  and  the  preaching  of  his  holy  word.  Besides 
other  towns  of  minor  note,  Galway,  Burrisokane,  Ne- 
nagh,  Ennis,  and  Kilrush,  required  suitable  chapels. 

Mr.  Ouseley,  in  the  spi-ing  of  1811,  received  an  in- 
vitation to  visit  Connemara,  which,  notwithstanding  his 
incessant  engagements,  he  attended  to;  and  it  soon 
became  one  of  our  stated  preaching  places.   "I  was 


216        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


yesterday,"  he  wiites  to  Dr.  Coke,  "  for  the  first  time 
in  Connemara,  a  mountainous  country  west  of  Gahvay. 
I  dined  in  company  with  a  priest  of  rather  good  infor- 
mation, at  the  house  of  a  respectable  man,  who,  about 
two  years  past,  gave  over  going  to  mass.  The  priest 
and  I  spoke  gently  on  many  doctrinal  points  in  the 
presence  of  the  family ;  and  I  was,  through  mercy, 
enabled  to  maintain  the  truth  without  the  least  irrita- 
tion. I  preached  to  three  families,  and  some  Papists, 
last  night  and  this  morning;  they  were  all  in  tears. 
The  gentlemen  did  not  leave  me  last  night  till  about 
twelve  o'clock.  They  wished  to  lay  an  embargo ;  but 
I  came  away  in  the  midst  of  a  great  stonn,  as  I  must, 
as  it  were,  fly  from  place  to  place."  More  than  fifteen 
years  before,  this  country  was  visited  by  Mr.  John 
Hamilton,  (brother  of  William,)  who  was  a  most  la- 
borious, zealous,  and  ardent  preacher.  His  voice  was 
very  tender  and  pathetic ;  and  he  seldom  preached 
that  the  tears  did  not  roll  plentifully  down  his  benevo- 
lent face.  Mr.  Hamilton's  journej  ings  in  Connemara 
were  very  exhausting,  and  sometimes  his  fare  veiy 
scanty ;  but  he  persevered  in  his  work  until  he  sunk 
into  a  low  fever,  in  which  he  was  almost  destitute  of 
care  and  ad\ice.  The  great  Physician  brought  him 
through ;  and  when  becoming  conscious,  and  in  some 
degree  convalescent,  he  found  himself  in  a  hut,  in 
which  he  had  sought  an  asylum,  lying  on  a  pallet  of 
rushes,  with  his  feet  toward  the  door.  Soon  his  appe- 
tite returned,  with  scarcely  any  nourishment,  save  a 
mug  of  cold  water  laid  by  his  bed-side  by  the  humane 
hand  of  a  poor  woman.  Just  then,  it  is  related,  a  dog 
came  into  the  hut  with  a  large  fish  in  his  mouth,  which 
he  dropped  on  the  floor  beside  the  bed.   This  afforded 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  217 


a  timely  supply,  and  conduced  to  the  return  of  his 
strength.  What  rendered  this  incident  the  more  re- 
markable was,  that  the  place  was  two  miles  from  the 
lake  where  the  fish  must  have  been  caught.  Though 
I  entertain  no  doubt  myself  as  to  this  strange  circum- 
stance, you  may,  of  course,  receive  it  or  reject  it  as 
you  tliink  proper. 

Throughout  the  year  1811  the  word  of  the  Lord 
wonderfully  prevailed  on  the  mission,  especially  in 
Burrisokane  and  the  surrounding  neighborhood.  In- 
deed, a  blessed  revival  took  place  in  all  that  country, 
and  many  new  and  promising  openings  were  presented 
on  every  hand  for  the  promulgation  of  the  "  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy."  In  a  letter  to  Dr.  Coke,  in  April  of  that 
year,  Mr.  Ouseley  states :— "  Wc  have  more  than  one 
hundred  and  fifty,  perhaps  near  two  hundred,  in  so- 
ciety in  Burrisokane,  there,  and  about  it,  and  six 
blessed  class-leaders ;  and  about  five  hundred  at  times 
in  our  congregation.  The  most  notorious  offenders 
are,  by  the  power  of  the  gospel,  reclaimed.  Surely 
the  desert  blossoms  as  the  rose.  We  are  just  about 
erecting  a  large  preaching  house  there.  I  think  we 
have  nearly  two  hundred  increase  since  conference; 
and  in  many  places  on  our  mission  the  people  are  call- 
ing- for  preaching  houses.  I  hope  we  shall  have  five  or 
six,  some  built,  and  some  beginning  to  be  built,  before 
conference.  Thanks  be  to  God  who  hath  thus  so 
blessedly  opened  our  way,  even  in  this  small  degree, 
in  such  a  wilderness." 

While  the  parts  of  our  circuit  here  referred  to  gave 
cause  of  great  joy,  there  were  other  portions  of  it  by 
no  means  so  cheering.  Though  in  the  county  of  Clare 
many  delightful  indications  of  fruit  appeared,  yet,  as  a 


218        MEMORIAL  OP  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


whole,  it  was  barren  and  unpromising.  Of  this  Mr. 
Ouseley  comjilains  in  his  letter  to  Dr.  Coke : — "  The 
county  of  Clare  is  the  worst  ground  for  the  gospel  I 
ever  met  with ;  but  even  there,  in  spite  of  opposition, 
good  is  done  :  even  there  we  have  sons  and  daughters 
born  to  God." 

The  attempt  to  erect  such  a  number  of  chapels 
throughout  a  district  so  recently  reclaimed  was  no 
ordinary  thing.  In  a  work  of  such  unportance  it  re- 
quired no  small  degree  of  confidence  in  the  great  Head 
of  the  church,  and  of  self-denial  and  perseverance  in 
carrying  out  the  bold  and  pious  undertaking.  The 
friends  of  religion  in  England  contributed  very  gene- 
rously to  the  design,  and  transmitted  their  bounty  to 
the  amount  of  £400  by  the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Adam 
Averell,  the  representative  of  the  Irish  to  the  British 
Conference.  This  not  only  formed  a  foundation  for 
the  purpose,  but  afforded  a  strong  plea  in  favor  of  our 
interests  with  the  friends  of  the  gospel  at  home.  Mr. 
Ouseley,  in  referring  to  it,  says,  "  The  money  Mr. 
Averell  has  brought  us  from  England  has  greatly  en- 
couraged us." 

As  the  origin  of  the  above  generous  gift  is  little 
known — indeed  known,  perhaps,  only  to  myself — I 
shall  briefly  refer  to  it.  We  were  indebted  for  this 
liberality  to  the  spontaneous  kindness  of  a  gentleman 
belonging,  I  believe,  to  the  Independent  body.  In  the 
latter  end  of  July,  1810, 1  reached  the  town  of  Gal- 
way;  and  in  the  evening  of  the  day  (Saturday)  went 
to  our  preaching  place.  It  was  in  a  miserable  back 
lane,  chiefly  occupied  with  herring  stores :  in  the  midst 
of  these  we  occupied  a  kind  of  room  like  a  cellar,  a 
most  filthy,  disagreeable  situation.    In  the  congrega- 


MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELET.  219 


tion  appeared  an  elderly  gentleman,  evidendy  of  great 
respectability.  He  proved  to  be  a  Mr.  Maberly  from 
London,  whose  son,  who  had  been  connected  as  partner 
in  an  extensive  mercantile  house,  had  lately  died  ;  and 
Mr.  Maberly  was  there  for  the  purpose  of  arranging 
his  late  son's  affairs.  "VMien  our  service  had  closed, 
Mr.  Maberly,  in  a  ver}'  kind  and  polite  manner,  intro- 
duced himself  to  me.  He  said  most  emphatically,  "  Mr. 
Reilly,  this  will  never  do.  The  Methodists  of  Galway 
must  have  a  fit  place  for  the  worehip  of  God.  I  am 
not  a  Methodist ;  I  am  a  dissenter ;  but  I  will,  on  my 
return  to  London,  speak  to  some  of  my  friends,  and  I 
think  I  shall  get  something  to  assist  you  in  building  a 
suitable  chapel."  ]\Ir.  Maberly  was  faithftxl  to  his  pro- 
mise. Lnmediately  on  his  return  he  obtained  £250, 
and  handed  it  to  Mr.  Averell,  who  was  then  at  the 
London  Conference.  Mr.  Averell  obtained  £150  in 
addition,  and  b}-  that  means  was  able  to  remit  to  Mr. 
Ouseley  £400.  By  the  time  the  chapels,  eight  in  num- 
ber, were  finished,  they  were  found  to  have  cost  £  1 ,300 ; 
the  other  £900  being  raised  by  subscriptions,  chiefly 
throughout  the  province  of  Connaught,  in  about  two 
years. 

Xew  scenes  opened  to  Mr.  Ouseley  in  consequence 
of  this  undertaking;  persons  and  places  were  now 
visited  by  him  that  otherwise  he  would  not  have  seen, 
anil  innumerable  opportunities  were  afforded  him  for 
preaching  the  gospel  to  many  who  could  not  in  ordinary 
cases  have  had  the  privilege  of  hearing  it  from  his 
lijis.  He  sometimes  said,  "  It  falls  to  my  lot  to  offer 
the  people  that  which  they  don't  like  to  take,  and  to 
ask  from  them  what  they  don't  like  to  give."  At  the 
conference  of  1811,  Mr.  Ouseley  had  three  colleagues 


220         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


allowed  him,  by  which  means  he  was  able  to  devote 
more  time  to  this  special  service ;  and  by  this  accession 
to  our  number  I  was  enabled  to  give  him  some  assist- 
ance in  the  work.  All  kinds  of  people,  and  all  classes 
of  religious  society,  contributed  to  the  funds  for  the 
erection  of  Methodist  preaching  houses.  The  Pro- 
testant gently  and  clergy  freely  subscribed,  with  many 
of  whom  Mr.  Ouseley  had  considerable  influence  ; 
and,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  many  Roman  Catholics, 
and  several  of  the  clergy  of  the  Church  of  Rome  them- 
selves, were  among  those  who  aided  him  in  this  enter- 
prise. In  the  town  of  Gahfay  a  remarkable  stretch 
of  liberahty  was  manifested  by  the  priests  on  this  occa- 
sion. The  Roman  Catholic  warden  subscribed  a  large 
sum,  and  appended  to  his  name  a  strong  recommenda- 
tion to  his  clergy  and  people  to  follow  his  example. 
This  is  a  fact  worthy  of  particular  notice.  The  reve- 
rend gentleman  gave  as  a  reason  for  his  conduct,  that 
it  would  prevent  Mr.  Ouseley  in  future  preaching  in 
the  streets.  This  affords  no  mean  proof  of  the  good 
effects  of  street  preaching.  I  am  willing  to  ascribe  it 
to  higher  motives ;  but  to  whatever  cause  it  may  be 
attributed,  it  was  an  extraordinary  instance  of  gene- 
rosity. In  other  parts,  too,  the  priests  and  some  of  the 
people  contributed  with  surprising  readiness  to  the 
erection  of  Methodist  houses  of  worship ;  and  at  the 
very  time  too  that  Mr.  Ouseley  was  publishing  his 
controversial  tract  against  father  Thayer.  I  shall  make 
no  remark  on  the  character  and  style  of  the  chapels 
built  by  Mr.  Ouseley.  Some  of  them  stand  to  the 
present  day ;  and  if  others  have  been  superseded  by 
buildings  of  a  superior  order,  very  likely  those  would 
never  have  been  built,  nor  had  any  occasion  for  them 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  221 


existed,  had  not  those  been,  in  earlier  times,  erected 
by  the  pious  zeal  and  toil  of  Mr.  Ouseley.  I  have 
heard  some  complaints  of  the  upper  room  in  Galway. 
This  house  was  purchased  and  fitted  up  at  considerable 
expense;  but  no  suitable  site  for  a  chapel  could  be 
pi-ocured  for  any  money  by  ISIr.  Ouseley.  A  dwelling 
house  was  offered  for  sale  in  Court-House  Lane,  then 
(before  the  erection  of  the  present  court-house)  a 
verj-  respectable  situation.  Mr.  Ouseley  on  the  occa- 
sion did  the  best  he  could.  If  now  a  more  worthy  and 
suitable  place  in  which  to  worship  God  and  preach  his 
holy  word  exists,  I  rejoice ;  but  "  let  not  him  that 
girdeth  on  the  harness  boast  himself  as  he  that  putteth 
it  off." 

Mr.  Xelson,  whose  ministrations  are  still  gratefully 
remembered  in  that  country,  was  removed  to  another 
field  of  labor  at  the  end  of  one  year ;  a  circumstance 
of  general  regret,  and  which  ISIr.  Ouseley  also  regretted : 
but  obtaining  two  faithful,  zealous  young  men,  Messi-s. 
Edward  Johnston  and  Cobain,  he  became  reconciled, 
and  their  labors  were  made  a  blessing  to  hundreds. 
Mr.  Johnston  and  I,  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Ouseley,  on 
the  21st  of  June,  1812,  held  our  annual  field  meeting 
in  Ballinevcn ;  and  the  great  Head  of  the  church 
honored  his  own  word,  and  many  in  the  large  assembly 
felt  its  gracious  and  enlivening  power. 

Being  a  good  deal  engaged  with  Mr.  Ouseley,  in  my 
second  and  third  years,  in  assisting  him  in  raising 
funds,  &c.,  I  hud  many  more  opportunities  of  witness- 
ing his  character  and  spirit.  Sometimes  ^se  would 
meet  at  the  most  important  places,  and  then  separate 
for  the  purpose  of  visiting  isolated  districts,  where  there 
was  any  prospect  of  obtaining  pecuniary  aid. 


222       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


Having,  in  the  month  of  August,  1812,  spent  some 
days  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mount  Shannon,  for  the 
above  purpose,  I  sailed  with  some  friends  from  Cloon- 
rush,  across  that  part  of  the  river  Shannon  known  as 
Lough  Derg,  to  my  friend,  Mr.  Franc  is  Kent's,  of 
Garrykeunedy,  to  try  what  could  be  done  in  the  county 
of  Tipperary.  The  evening  was  beautifully  fine,  which 
contributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  effect  of  the 
delightful  prospect  which  opened  on  eveiy  side.  It  is 
impossible  to  give  anything  like  an  adequate  delinea- 
tion of  the  various  views  afibrded  in  crossing  this  part 
of  the  river  Shannon.  The  lough  is  in  length  nearly 
thirty  miles,  reaching  from  Portumna  to  within  a  mile 
of  Killaloe  ;  and  besides  its  several  extensive  bays, 
varying  from  three  to  four  miles  in  breadth,  bounded 
on  the  south-east  by  the  Mountains  of  Tipperary,  on 
the  north-west  by  the  Woodford  Mountains,  and  on 
the  west,  at  SkarifF  Bay,  by  the  craggy  rocks  of  Clare ; 
presenting  wild  and  beautiful  scenery  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach. 

This  evening  we  approached  the  Tipperary  side,  in 
full  view  of  the  ridge  of  mountains  which  stand  in 
bold  and  striking  contrast  with  the  rich  lawns,  wood- 
ings,  and  deer-park,  skirting  the  lake.  With  other 
objects  which  heighten  the  interest,  are  the  pai-ish 
church  of  Castletown  Arra,  near  the  margin  of  the 
lake,  and  the  i-uins  of  the  ancient  castle  from  which 
the  parish  takes  its  name,  casting  its  shadow  on  the 
water.  It  is  impossible  not  to  be  deeply  interested  in 
the  survey  of  this  noble,  expansive  sheet  of  water, 
with  its  castles,  towers,  and  monastic  ruins  ;  its  islands, 
creeks,  and  bays;  and  the  numerous  beauties  which 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


223 


crowd  upon  the  eye  in  this  most  picturesque  and  di- 
versified landscape. 

WTien,  more  than  two  years  before  this  time,  I  first 
rode  along  here,  and  the  scene  suddenly  burst  on  my 
vision,  and  raised  my  astonishment,  there  was  no  one 
through  that  extensive  country  who  received  either 
the  gospel  or  its  messengers.  Now,  thank  God,  there 
arc  many  who  hear  and  believe,  and  two  most  respect- 

i  able  houses  which  receive  the  messengers  of  the  Lord 
Jesus ;  some  Roman  Catholics  converted ;  a  most  in- 
teresting society  fomed ;  and  large  congregations  in 
two  places  who  hear  the  word. 

A  short  time  before  this  I  was  induced  to  pay  a 
■visit  to  the  parish  priest,  father  Keating,  to  solicit  a 

I  subscription  toward  the  erection  of  the  Xenagh  chapel. 
Being  introduced  to  him  in  his  own  house,  when  my 
name  was  announced,  he  exclaimed,  "  0  'Rcilhj !  you 

,  are,  sii",  a  real  Milesian.  TMien  I  was  in  college,  in 
France,  I  had  two  fellow-students  of  your  n:une.  One 
of  them  is  now  primate  ;  and  here  I  am,  a  poor  parish 
priest."  Upon  his  understanding  the  object  of  my 
visit,  he  said,  "  Indeed,  asthore,  I  will  give  you  a 
guinea,  on  account  of  your  name."  "  You  act,  father 
Keating,  on  higher  motives,"  was  the  reply.  "  I  could 
give  you  the  money  now ;  but  I  want,"  said  the  kind 

tj  old  gentleman,  "to  see  you  again."    I  went;  and  he, 

P  in  the  most  affectionate  manner,  handed  me  the  money, 

'    and  wrote  his  own  name  in  the  subscription  book. 

I  He  requested  me  to  lend  him  some  Methodist  books. 

y  I  said,  "Your  neighbor,  Mr.  Caswell,  has  a  good  li- 
brarj',  and  can  lend  you  any  you  require  "    He  re- 

j   plied,  "  No :  I  would  prefer  your  own  selection ;  for  I 

[ 


224        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


•want  to  form  a  judgment  for  myself  of  your  religion." 
Before  I  returned,  he  was  no  more  an  inhabitant  of 
this  world.  There  is  another  circumstance  worthy 
of  being  mentioned,  as  it  shows  his  freedom  from  the 
spirit  of  intolerance  so  prevalent  among  the  clergy  of 
tlie  Church  of  Rome.  Some  of  his  tlock  had  been 
aw.akcucd  under  the  preaching  of  the  word,  and  es- 
pecially one  lady  of  respectability ;  which  gave  great 
alarm  to  his  coadjutor,  a  Mr.  Harty.  The  latter  came 
to  him,  and  said,  "  There  now — what  will  you  do  ? 
Your  whole  parish  are  going  after  the  Swaddlers. 

There  is  Mrs.  K  ,  the  most  respectable  woman  in 

your  Hock,  gone  too."  The  good  old  man  said,  "And 
what  would  you  have  me  to  do  ?"  The  other  replied, 
"  Denounce  her  from  the  altar."  '•  Muisha,  then,"  he 
said,  "  I  '11  not  denounce  her,  or  any  one  else.  Let  the 
decent  ivoman  go  where  she  likes." 

In  the  mean  while  Mr.  Ouseley  pressed  very  urgently 
his  arguments  on  fother  Tha}  er.  God  in  his  provi- 
dence overruled  the  folly  and  presumption  of  an 
American  Romish  priest,  who  arrogantly  challenged 
the  whole  Protestant  Hterati  to  answer  his  arguments. 
Mr.  Ouseley  not  only  replies  in  defense  of  truth, 
but  by  aggressive  warfare  enters  into  the  enemy's 
stjongholds,  routs  his  ill-fated  antagonist,  and  leaves 
him  no  place  on  which  to  set  his  foot.  Thayer  died 
shortly  after,  and  it  was  stated  to  me,  by  a  Limerick 
gentleman  of  respectability  and  piety,  that  there  was 
no  question  his  death  was  occasioned  by  the  mortifi- 
cation endured  by  his  defeat.  Be  this  as  it  may,  Mr. 
Ouseley's  great  work,  "  Old  Christianity,"  took  its  rise 
from  this  beginning ;  and  but  for  the  knight-errantry 
of  father  Thayer,  might  never  have  had  an  existence. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  225 


The  work  became  enlarged  from  time  to  time  by  a 
variety  of  circumstances ;  generally,  when  by  some 
temporary  illness  he  was  laid  aside  from  his  public 
labors,  his  pen,  when  at  all  able  to  employ  it,  was 
ever  ready ;  and  then  would  he,  to  use  his  own  words, 
"amplify  it  a  little,"  and  produce  new  arguments  in 
that  important  work.    AMien  unable  at  any  time  to 
exercise  his  public  ministry-,  he  would  look  so  tranquil, 
and  even  pleased,  and  would  say,  "  The  gentle  hand 
of  my  Master  is  upon  me,  that  I  may  do  something 
for  him  with  my  pen."    In  the  early  part  of  the  year 
1813,  when  he  got  out  the  second  edition  of  his  work, 
he  was  so  afflicted  with  a  pain  in  his  eye  that  he  could 
neither  preach  nor  write.    He  stopped  in  Limerick, 
I     at  the  hospitable  house  of  his  kind  friend,  George 
'     Evans,  Esq.    While  there,  two  young  ladies,  one  a 
daughter  and  the  other  niece  of  IVIi-s.  Evans,  prepared, 
'     under  his  direction,  his  papers  for  the  press,  until,  if 
■     they  did  not  become  adepts  in  polemical  divinity,  they 
Ij    at  least  felt  perfectly  satisfied  as  to  the  validity  of  Mr. 
)!    Ouseley's  doctrines.    They,  however,  thought  that  as 
]|    they  had  received  such  a  plenaiy  application  of  ex- 
I    treme  unction,  it  was  hardly  consistent  to  detain  them 
j    so  long  in  the  pains  of  purgatory.    Although  the  first 
letter  did  not  exceed  forty  pages,  this  second  edition 
reached  one  hundred  and  forty  pages. 

On  the  third  of  May,  1812,  Mr.  Ouseley  narrowly 
escaped  being  dangerously  hurt.  We  met  in  Ennis, 
jl  and  after  I  had  preached  in  the  evening  he  went  to 
j  the  stable,  to  another  part  of  the  town,  to  look  after  our 
I  horses.  Some  persons  intent  upon  injuring  him  watched 
I  his  return ;  the  night  was  rather  wet,  and  Mr.  Ouseley 
providentially  held  up  his  umbrella ;   a  stone  was 

I 


226        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


thrown  at  him  with  great  force  and  precision,  but  in- 
stead of  liitting  his  head,  as  was  intended,  the  handle 
of  the  umbrella  prevented,  and  his  thumb  which  was 
on  It  received  the  blow,  and  was  laid  open  from  the 
top  to  the  joint.  He  calmly  said,  "  Thank  you;  you 
have  drawn  my  blood  at  last."  They  ran  off,  and  ho 
proceeded  to  Mrs.  Lloyd's,  where,  with  some  friends, 
we  spent  the  evening.  A  gentleman  present  wanted 
to  pursue  the  assailants,  but  Mr.  Ouseley  would  not 
permit  it :  and,  although  the  incision  was  exceedingly 
severe  and  painful,  he  rejoiced  that  he  was  counted 
worthy  to  suffer  persecution  for  the  name  of  Jesus. 
By  a  very  remarkable  interposition  of  divine  pro- 
vidence the  offender  was  soon  discovered.  He  was  a 
fine-looking  young  man,  an  apprentice  to  a  carpenter, 
who  at  the  time  was  employed  by  Mr.  Ouseley  in  build- 
ing our  chapel.  This  rendered  the  assavxlt  the  more 
unaccountable.  Some  few  days  after  this  occurrence, 
the  young  man  went  to  bathe  in  the  river  Fergus,  and 
standing  on  the  wall,  which  bounded  the  river,  from 
which  he  was  accustomed  to  take  a  pluuge,  a  stone 
rolled  under  his  feet  in  making  the  attempt,  and  he 
fell  on  his  stomach;  immediate  inflammation  set  in, 
and,  in  a  few  days,  he  died  in  the  utmost  agony.  His 
associates  in  the  late  attack  disclosed  the  affair — he 
•was  the  person  who  aimed  the  blow  at  the  head  of 
God's  servant.  We  said  nothing  of  it,  but  the  people 
generally  drew  the  moral;  and  Mr.  Ouseley  passed 
unmolested  the  rest  of  his  time  in  Ennis.  Two 
instances  of  a  like  fatal  nature  took  place  in  other 
parts  of  the  mission — one  in  O'Brien's  Bridge,  and 
another  in  Barrisoleagh — the  circumstances  relating  to 


MEMORIAL  Ol'  GIDEON  OTJSELET. 


227 


which  would  be  too  tedious  for  this  place.  "  Ven- 
geance is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord." 

Mr.  Ouseley  went  on  his  way  to  the  close  of  the 
year,  "  offering  the  people  what  they  did  not  like  to 
take,  and  asking  from  them  what  they  did  not  like  to 
give,"  but  succeeding  wonderfully  in  giving  and  re- 
ceiving, until,  on  the  one  hand,  many  were  enriched 
with  gospel  blessings;  and,  on  the  other,  many  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  work  of  the  Lord.  According 
to  the  direction  of  the  conference,  Jlr.  Ouseley  visited 
all  the  counties  in  Connaught,  and  parts  of  Munster, 
Leinster,  and  Ulster ;  and  in  his  course  preached  everj'- 
where,  and  solicited  pecuniary  aid  in  the  work  of  his 
great  Master,  in  which  he  was  engaged.  It  supplied 
many  incidents  of  a  most  interesting  kind,  and  ex- 
hibited Mr.  Ouselcy's  character  very  often  in  some 
new  and  striking  feature,  as  he  came  in  contact  with  a 
variety  of  persons. 

On  Wednesday,  December  9th,  he  proceeded  on  hia 
tour  through  the  province  of  Connaught,  after  jjreach- 
ing  in  Birr  two  or  three  times ;  and  on  Thursday,  10th, 
reached  Eyrecourt,  where  he  preached.  I  had  to 
accompany  him  in  this  journey,  which  was  one  of 
great  interest,  and  afforded  many  incidents.  We 
were  invited  to  breakfast  on  Friday  morning,  by  a 
magistrate,  a  relative  of  Mr.  Ouseley ;  but,  some 
faioily  affairs  requiring  !Mr.  Ouseley's  influence  and 
presence,  we  were  delayed  beyond  our  expectation. 
We  proceeded  to  Killimor,  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Hardy,  and,  as  we  could  not  reach  the  next  place 
before  a  late  hour,  Mr.  Ouseley  was  prevailed  on  to 
remain  for  the  night. 


228        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEOn'oUSELET. 


Jlist  before  the  family  went  to  tea,  a  taD  gentleman, 
of  vciy  marked,  intelligent  countenance,  entered  the 
room ;  but  it  was  evident,  from  his  appearance,  that 
his  constitution  was  impaired.  His  outside  coat  hung 
loosely  over  his  shoulders,  and  he,  by  his  whole  man- 
ner, seemed  on  a  familiar  footing  with  the  family.  He 
was  no  other  than  the  Rev.  father  Glin,  the  parish 
priest;  who,  as  is  the  habit  with  many  of  his  order, 
among  respectable  Protestants,  had  cultivated  an  inti- 
macy with  the  family.  He  very  soon  gave  indications 
of  dissatisfixction  at  seeing  the  missionaries  there  ;  and 
not  knowing  Mr.  Ouseley,  he  threw  down  the  gauntlet, 
already  imagining  himself  secure  of  victory.  He  said, 
"  It  would  be  a  very  desirable  thing  if  there  were  a 
convention  of  representatives  from  all  the  states  in 
Christendom  for  the  purpose  of  settlin^the  faith  of 
the  world,  and  giving  the  true  sense  of  Scripture ;  and 
not  to  have  every  tinker  and  tailor  that  pleases  stand- 
ing up  as  an  interpreter  of  the  word  of  God."  This 
was  too  plain  to  be  misunderstood ;  and  although  Mr. 
Ouseley  said,  "Indeed,  sir,  if  this  could  be  accom- 
plished, it  would  be  a  very  desu-able  object,"  I  was 
aware  that  there  was  something  in  store  for  the  priest, 
of  which  he  had  no  anticipation ;  and,  wishing  to  give 
Mr.  Ouseley  time  for  the  defense,  I  showed  some  rea- 
sons for  my  dissenting  from  the  opinion  advanced. 
He  replied,  "It  is  impossible,  sir,  that  the  judgment 
Ibrmed  by  such  an  assembly  could  be  anything  but 
infallible."  Mr.  Ouseley  then  commenced  his  attack 
on  the  system  of  Popi.sh  infallibility  already  existing, 
and  which  had  stood  for  centuries.  "  I  feel,"  he  said, 
"  strong  and  increasing  objections  to  that  system." 
The  other  inquired,  "To  what  part  of  it,  sir?"  "I 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  229 


shall,"  says  Rlr.  Ouseley,  "  begin  with  extreme  unction, 
■which  is  no  Christian  sacrament  according  to  your 
own  definition."  He  replied,  "  O,  my  dear  sir,  was  it 
not  taught  by  St,  James  as  having  been  instituted  by 
Jesus  Christ?"  Mr.  Ouseley  repUed,  "Xo  sir;  you 
are  aware  that,  in  order  to  its  being  a  sacrament,  it 
should  have  been  instituted  by  Christ ;  and  so  was  the 
Council  of  Trent  at  a  loss,  that  three  hundred  bishops, 
with  the  pope  at  their  head,  could  not  find  a  single 
woi-d  of  our  Lord  to  sanction  its  institution.  Lest  you 
might  suppose  me  arguing  unfairly,  I'll  quote  the  words 
of  the  Trent  Council  for  you :  '  This  holy  anointing  of 
the  sick  is  i^jstituted,  as  it  were,  a  true  and  proper 
sacrament  of  the  New  Testament :  hixted  at  indeed 
by  Christ  our  Lord,  in  St.  Mark,  but  recommended  and 
promulgated  by  the  apostle  St.  James,'  &c.  And  thus 
you  build  the  doctrine  on  a  mere  insinuation,  (insinua- 
tu7n.)  Besides,  you  say  it  is  necessary  to  salvation, 
and  at  the  same  time  not  necessary ;  for  it  is  forbidden 
to  such  as  have  not  come  to  the  use  of  reason ;  and  if 
a  man  be  about  to  die  under  the  sentence  of  the  law, 
he  cannot  receive  this  sacrament.  Therefore  you  can- 
not believe  it  divine,  when  you  say  it  is  necessary  and 
not  necessarj'."  Many  other  things  he  added  until  the 
priest,  though  possessed  of  considerable  argumentative 
powers,  was  glad  to  change  his  ground,  though,  unfor- 
tunately for  liis  creed,  to  no  better  purpose.  The  next 
subject  was  that  of  half-communion — I  need  not  dwell 
on  their  denying  the  cup  to  the  laity — the  doctrine  of 
intention,  &c. ;  but  these  various  topics  are  fully  treated 
of  in  his  "  Old  Christianity."  So  pressed  was  he  at 
length,  that  he  hoped  to  make  his  escape  by  exclaim- 
ing, "  0,  my  dear  sir,  if  you  were  to  see  all  the  books 


230        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


that  I  saw  when  I  was  at  college  in  France,  on  that 
one  subject — the  real  presence — you  would  be  afraid 
to  speak  a  word  upon  it  all  the  days  of  your  life."  Mr. 
Ouseley  rejoined,  "  My  dear  sir,  there  are  some  things 
which  a  child  can  know  as  well  as  an  archbishop ;  for 
instance,  how  many  panes  of  glass  in  that  window," 
pointing  at  a  window  in  the  parlor.  "  Poh  !"  said  the 
priest,  "that's  a  physical  fact;  any  one  can  tell  that." 
Mr.  Ouseley  retorted,  "Is  it  not  equally  a  physical 
fact  that  John  the  Baptist  was  not  the  son  of  the  Vir- 
gin Mai-y  ?"  The  priest  said,  "  Very  true  indeed,  sir." 
"  Why,"  returned  Mr.  Ouseley,  "  is  he  not  her  son  ?" 
"  Because,"  said  he,  "  John  the  Baptist  was  never  bom 
of  the  Virgin  Mary."  "  Could  any  man,"  said  Mr.  O., 
"  that  had  never  been  born  of  her  by  any  power  ever 
become  her  son  ?"  "  Certainly  not,"  said  the  priest. 
"  Could  any  thiny  that  never  was  born  of  her  ever  be- 
come her  son  ?"  "  Indeed  I  think  not."  "  I  have  you 
now,  my  good  fellow — can  the  corn  which  grew  up  last 
year,  ground  by  the  miller,  baked  by  the  baker,  and 
consecrated  by  the  priest,  by  any  power  of  God  or  man 
become  the  son  of  the  Vii-gin  Maiy  ?"  "  O,"  said  fa- 
ther Glin,  "  all  things  are  possible  to  God."  "  No," 
said  Mr.  Ouseley,  "  all  things  are  not  possible  to  God ; 
for  it  is  impossible  for  God  to  tell  a  lie,  or  work  a  self- 
contradiction,  which  would  be  necessarily  involved  in 
the  doctrine  of  your  church.  Besides,  there  are,  ac- 
coi'ding  to  your  own  canon,  tweh'e  cases  in  which  de- 
fects may  occur  in  the  eucharist — defects  in  the  bread 
—in  the  wine — in  the  form — in  the  ministry,  &c. ;  so 
that,  according  to  your  own  doctrine,  it  is  utterly  im- 
possible to  know  when  there  is  a  true  sacrament.  And 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  231 


how  can  any  rational  being  believe  that  the  accidents 
to  which  the  host  is  liable  can  happen  to  the  Son  of 
God  ?  It  can  be  carried  away  by  the  wind,  and  totally 
disappear ;  be  devoured  by  an  animal,  by  a  mouse,  or 
rat :  a  spider  can  be  drowned  in  the  cup ;  it  can  be 
frozen.  M\  on  the  ground,  be  vomited  by  the  priest, 
piously  swallowed  up  again,  licked  up  with  the  tongue ; 
and  the  wine  can,  if  poisoned,  be  poured  on  linen  or 
tow,  dried,  then  be  burned,  and  the  ashes  buried  in 
holy  ground.  Now,  sir,  permit  me  to  ask,  can  you 
believe  the  doctrine  of  your  own  church  ?  Can  any 
man  in  his  senses  think  that  any  of  the  above  occur- 
rences take  place  with  regai-d  to  the  true  Chiist?" 
The  priest  was  confounded,  and  said,  "  True  enough, 
sir ;  a  great  many  people  think  that  all  things  are  pos- 
sible to  God ;  but  he  could  not  make  this  stick  in  my 
hand  without  two  ends  on  it,  nor  make  two  hills  with- 
out a  valley  between  them."  Thus  he  fairly  acknow- 
ledged himself  vanquished. 

The  above  conversation  lasted  four  hours,  and  there- 
fore there  can  be  no  more  than  a  brief  summary  of  the 
ai^uments  employed  by  Mr.  Ouseley  on  the  occasion ; 
and  though  the  very  expressions  are  for  the  most  part 
given,  I  cannot  account  for  the  exact  form  of  the  argu- 
ment in  every  case.  There  is  a  note  in  Mr.  Ouselej^'s 
book  referring  to  this  controverey.  Next  morning  the 
priest  came  into  the  gentleman's  house,  and  said  to  his 
!-(m.  Why,  master  James,  these  Methodist  preachers 
;iri-  queer  fellows  ;  I  declare  I  did  not  think  that  they 
WL-ie  such  men."  The  young  gentleman  said,  "But 
what  do  you  think  of  your  own  argument,  father  Glin  ?" 
If  it  were  not  for  the  bit  of  bread,"  he  replied,  "  I 


232        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


would  never  celebrate  mass  as  long  as  I  live."  This 
■was  no  slight  admission  in  a  family  in  wliich  he  had 
sought  to  ingratiate  himself! 

On  Saturday,  the  12th,  we  proceeded  on  our  route 
through  Loughrea.  As  we  approached  the  town  Mr. 
Ouseley  suddenly  reined  in  Ijis  horse,  and  exclaimed, 
'•  I  f'oel  as  if  the  atmosphere  were  crowded  with  devils  ; 
we'll  be  attacked  in  town."  Before  we  reached  the 
town  Mr.  Ouseley  rode  to  the  residence  of  a  magis- 
trate in  the  suburbs,  to  request  his  protection  through 
the  crowd.  The  magistrate  not  being  at  home,  he 
turned  away,  and  meeting  a  military  sergeant,  he  men- 
tioned to  liim  the  apprehension  he  was  under  of  being 
attacked  by  the  mob  as  he  passed  through  the  town, 
and  requested  him  to  walk  in  company  with  us.  He 
kindly  consented,  and  turned  with  us  toward  the  town. 
It  was  market  day,  and  the  main  sti-eet,  which  is  a  long 
one,  was  exceedingly  thronged  from  end  to  end,  so 
that  we  were  obliged  to  ride  in  single  file.  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley did  not  attempt  preaching;  but  the  moment  he 
made  his  appearance  a  most  hideous  yell  was  set  up, 
which  never  fails  in  an  Irish  mob  to  prepare  for  the 
most  ferocious  acts:  we  rode  on  at  an  easy  gait,  for 
we  could  not  possibly  ride  fast,  having  to  pass  through 
a  dense  crowd.  Every  kind  of  abuse  and  execration 
was  heaped  on  the  object  of  their  hate  by  the  vile 
mob ;  and  all  kinds  of  missiles  flung  with  the  utmost 
fury  at  his  head.  At  length  we  reached  the  guard- 
house, at  which  a  sentinel  was  placed,  and  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley halted,  and,  facing  the  crowd,  turned  his  back  to- 
ward the  guard-house.  It  was  in  vain  to  expostulate 
with  them  on  their  savage  conduct ;  they  still  persisted 
in  throwing  everything  they  could  lay  hold  on,  until  at 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  233 


length  a  large  cabbage-stalk  hit  the  sentinel,  and  nearly- 
knocked  him  down ;  he  leveled  his  musket  at  the  per- 
son ;  the  mob  thinned,  and  drew  back,  and  the  fellow 
■was  made  a  prisoner,  and  lodged  in  the  guard-house ; 
and,  in  the  mean  while,  Mr.  Ouseley  and  I  rode  off  un- 
hurt Then  the  mob  attacked  the  guard,  and  would 
Lave  torn  down  the  house  had  not  their  companion 
been  liberated.  We  rode  on  to  'Mr.  Cannon's  of  MiU- 
mount,  three  miles  further,  and  rejoiced  togethsr  with 
our  friends,  at  the  great  deliverance  that  God  had 
wought  out  for  us.  And  such  an  overwhelming  power 
of  the  divine  presence  I  have  hardly  ever  witnessed  as 
was  then  manifested.  It  certainly  was  one  of  the  most 
memorable  days  I  have  ever  yet  seen  :  the  awful  pre- 
sentiment on  the  mind  of  God's  servant — the  frightful, 
unprovoked,  and  murderous  attack  of  a  furious  mob 
on  the  man  of  God — passing  through  thousands  of  them 
without  receiving  any  injury,  and,  at  last,  under  the 
divine  Providence,  escaping  unhurt.* 

We  passed  on  to  Galway  against  Sunday,  and  on 
Tuesday  15th  proceeded  to  Tuam,  where  Mr.  Ouseley 
preached  without  interi-uptiou  in  the  street,  and  I 
afterward  in  the  chapel.  Mr.  Ouseley  went  to  Dun- 
more  on  Wednesday ;  and  I  followed  him  on  Thursday, 
and  preached  to  a  room  full  that  evening,  in  his  father's 
house,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  being  introduced  to 

*  An  account,  which  had  appeared  in  a  newspaper,  is  given  by  the 
Rev.  James  Caughey,  in  his  Letters,  which  agrees  in  some  of  its  cir- 
cumstances with  what  I  witnessed  ;  but  the  attack  on  Mr.  Ouseley 
is  said  to  have  taken  place  at  tlie  barrack  of  Loughrea.  There  may 
have  been  a  second  attack,  but  I  have  never  heard  of  it.  And  there 
is  some  doubt  tlirown  on  tliat  version  of  the  affair  from  the  fact,  that 
the  barrack  is  some  distance  from  the  main  street  where  tlie  guard- 
house stood.   The  above  is  a  literal  description  of  the  occurrence. 


234        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


the  old  lady  and  gentleman,  the  mother  and  father  of 
Mr.  Ouseley. 

On  Friday,  18th,  we  traveled  to  the  neighborhood 
of  Hollymount,  and  thence  to  Castlebar,  Mr.  Ouseley 
preaching  in  the  streets  as  we  traveled  along.  A  little 
opposition  to  street  preaching  iu  Castlebar,  attempted 
by  the  mob,  was  soon  put  down  by  the  magistrate. 
Here  I  received  a  letter  from  the  county  of  Clare, 
informing  me  of  a  most  disastrous  event.  Mr.  Ouseley 
had  found  access  to  the  house  of  a  Roman  Catholic 
gentleman  of  respectability,  whose  excellent  wife  was 
a  Protestant,  and  who  had  trained  two  lon  ely  daugh- 
ters in  the  principles  of  the  gospel.  The  gentleman 
himself  continued  a  Roman  CathoUc,  and  high  in  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  the  clergy.  But  soon  after 
he  heard  Mr.  Ouseley,  his  mind  was  opened  to  receive 
the  truth,  and  he  was  too  independent  and  ingenuous 
to  conceal  the  change.  The  consequence  was,  that  a 
systematic  persecution  was  commenced  against  him : 
and  by  the  hand  of  the  incendiary  his  house,  and  offices, 
and  farm-yard,  were  all  burned  to  the  ground;  and 
himself  and  interesting  family  narrowly  escaped  in 
the  dead  of  night,  by  flying  in  their  night-dresses  to 
the  open  fields ;  thus  in  the  depth  of  winter  were  they 
left  to  seek  shelter  in  the  ditches  of  their  own  land. 
It  was  too  much  for  husband  and  father;  his  gi-eat 
mental  powers  received  a  fearful  shock,  and  his  reason 
for  a  short  time  reeled  under  the  calamity,  infhcted  for 
no  other  reason,  than  for  his  having  received  and 
avowed  the  trutli  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ ! 

Mr.  Ouseley,  on  Tuesday  the  22d,  came  to  Newport; 
but  his  attempt  to  preach  in  the  street  was  frustrated 
by  the  violence  of  the  mob,  and  nothing  of  note 


«       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  23j 

occurred  until  we  came  to  Westport,  a  beautiful  town 
at  the  termination  of  the  road  from  Dublin.  I  rode 
round  it  the  day  after  my  arrival,  and  was  greatly 
struck  with  the  picturesque  scenery  suiTounding  it. 
Tlie  approach  from  Castlebar  is  singularly  fine,  being 
adorned  with  the  demesne  of  the  marquis  of  Sligo, 
with  whi-h  his  splendid  mansion  is  environed.  It 
commands  a  fine  view  of  the  Mountain  of  Croagh- 
patrick — the  famous  Rick :  the  lofty  ranges  of  Achill 
and  Erris,  terminating  in  the  stupendous  Mountain  of 
Xcphin  ;  and  of  Clew  Bay,  studded  with  inniunerable 
j  islands. 

Here,  in  street  preaching,  a  singular  scene  was  ex- 
hibited. Mr.  Ouseley,  on  Thursday  morning,  about 
eight  o'clock,  stood  up  in  the  market,  in  an  open  part 
where  not  much  business  was  going  on.  Great  num- 
bers ran  to  hear  him ;  and  he  preached  with  great 
vehemence  in  both  English  and  Irish.  Two  priests 
took  the  alai-m,  and,  repairing  to  the  place,  endeavored 
to  scatter  the  congregation,  and  in  some  degree  suc- 
ceeded. They  then  retired,  and  Mr.  Ouseley  again 
commenced,  and  rallied  the  congregation.  He  cried 
out,  '•  My  good  people,  don't  mind  these  men ;  they  are 
like  persons  who  utter  base  coin,  and  when  an  honest 
man  comes  into  the  market  with  his  scales  and  weight, 
to  j^rove  that  their  money  is  bad,  they  don't  like  it/" 
He  proceeded  to  show  the  congregation  what  the 
genuine  doctrine  of  Christ  was,  which  the  priests, 
though  sworn  on  the  New  Testament  to  believe  it, 
endeavor  to  destroy.  One  of  the  priests,  of  the  name 
of  Judge,  seeing  the  multitude  reassembled,  ran  in 
among  them,  and  wrenching  a  bludgeon  out  of  the 
hands  of  one  of  the  countrj-men,  began  most  unmerci- 


236        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEf.  • 


fiiUy  to  lay  around  him,  and  dealt  heavy  blows  on 
all  the  people.  Mr.  Ouseley  then  addressed  father 
Judge  in  these  words : — "  That  is  it — that  is  the  way 
to  convince  the  reason  of  men,  by  a  buille  mhaide, 
(vaide.)  the  stroke  of  a  stick."  Again  they  were  par- 
tially scattered,  and  again  they  were  rallied,  and  Mr, 
Ouseley  continued  his  discourse.  But  some  man,  par- 
taking the  feeling  of  his  spiritual  guide,  standing  at 
a  distance  on  Mr.  Ouseley's  right  hand,  seized  upon  a 
hard  peat,  rendered  harder  by  the  frost :  I  stood  on  a 
chair,  on  'Mr.  Ouseley's  left,  he  standing  on  another 
chau' — I  saw  the  missile  coming,  had  not  time  to  warn 
him  of  his  danger,  but  stooped  instinctively  to  avoid  the 
blow,  when  it  hit  him  on  the  right  cheek  and  temple 
and  nearly  knocked  him  down,  producing  a  severe 
contusion  in  the  whole  of  the  right  side  of  his  head. 
Though  the  priest  succeeded  in  evading  the  ends  of 
justice,  he  was  soon  called  into  the  presence  of  the 
great  Judge.  There  did  not  seem  a  second  person  in 
the  crowd  engaged  in  this  assault:  while  many  with 
great  earnestness  heard  the  word,  one  only,  by  the 
instigation  of  the  priests,  raised  the  hand  of  persecu- 
tion. 

Though  Mr.  Ouseley  preached  in  every  town,  in  the 
most  public  places,  very  little  persecution  was  he  called 
to  endure.  In  BalUna  he  was  in  some  danger.  In 
the  market  of  that  town,  in  the  beginning  of  January, 
1813,  we  preached  in  the  street;  the  spot  he  chose  to 
stand  on,  was  before  the  window  of  a  respectable  friend, 
Mr.  Oram  Lundy.  I  had  first  preached,  and  being 
greatly  fatigued,  sat  down  on  the  chair  on  which  I  had 
been  standing.  Mr.  Ouseley's  manner  that  day  I  shall 
never  forget.    He  held  in  his  hand  the  tract  he  had 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  237 


■written  to  father  Thayer ;  informed  the  people  that  the 
priest  had  been  a  Protestant,  and  was  brought  in  his 
own  countr)'-,  America,  to  embrace  the  Catholic  faith ; 
and  then  he  comes  over  to  Ireland  to  convince  us  all 
of  the  errors  of  Protestantism,  and  lead  us  back  to  the 
true  church.    "I "11  read  his  challenge  for  you,"  said 
Mr.  Ouselcy ;  and  he  read  the  challenge  which  father 
Thayer  gives  to  all  the  Protestant  clergy.    "UTiile  this 
was  going  on,  thousands  around  seemed  delighted,  and 
hung  upon  his  lips ;  but  when  he  laid  open  their  reli- 
gion, and  stated  his  own  objections,  some  of  them  took 
the  alarm.    A  largo  potato  was  flung  at  him,  but,  in- 
stead of  hitting  the  object  for  which  it  was  intended,  it 
came  with  great  force  against  Mr.  Bruce,  who  stood  at 
Mr.  Ouseley's  left  hand ;  happily  his  head  was  protected 
by  a  strong  hat,  or  the  elfect  of  the  stroke  might  have 
been  very  serious.    Two  daring  fellows  in  the  crowd, 
however,  were  determined  to  take  the  preacher  down, 
Hnd  one  supplied  his  companion  with  anmiunition,  while 
he  other  leveled  a  stone  at  the  head  of  Sir.  Ouseley. 
Fust  as  he  raised  his  hand  in  involuntary  action,  the 
;tone  passed  under  his  arm,  and  struck  the  lattice  of 
tfr.  Lundy's  winflow,  bent  it,  and  broke  the  window 
nside.    Mr.  Ouseley,  however,  escaped  unhurt,  and 
ome  friends  who  had  been  watching  the  assailants 
eized  on  them  both,  and  they  were  soon  lodged  in 
ridewell.    Mr.  0.  was  obliged  to  lodge  informations, 
s  he  had  in  the  case  of  fiither  Judge,  not  for  vindic- 
ve  purposes,  but  to  secure  the  protection  of  the  law  in 
le  perfoi-mance  of  the  duties  of  his  important  and 
icred  calling.    The  men  were  admitted  to  bail;  he 
•ho  flung  the  stones  absconded,  while  he  who  sup 
lied  him  with  them  was  tried  before  the  assistant 


238         MKMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


barrister,  at  the  quarter  sessions,  and  sentenced  to  two 
months'  imprisonment. 

Mr.  Ouseley  at  this  time  passed  into  Erris,  a  penin- 
sula in  the  west  of  Mayo ;  a  part,  at  such  a  season, 
very  difficult  of  access.  There,  for  several  days,  he 
labored,  as  at  other  times,  wth  fervor  and  faithfulness. 
The  Eev.  Robert  Bruce,  who  accompanied  him  in  this 
excureion  from  the  Ballina  circuit,  regarded  it  as  a 
high  privilege  to  be  associated  with  Mr.  Ouseley,  for 
even  a  few  days,  in  traveling  and  labor.  He  writes 
in  strong  and  affectionate  terms  on  the  subject,  and 
delineates  with  vivid  effect  some  of  the  scenes  which 
he  on  that  occasion  witnessed.  IMi-.  Bruce  describes 
him  as  indefatigable  in  preaching  Christ  to  all  ranks 
of  persons,  and  the  effects  to  be  most  powerful.  He 
says :  "  Accompanied  by  me,  early  in  1813,  Mr.  Ouseley 
went  into  Erris,  where  we  remained  for  a  -week.  I 
had  never  been  so  long  in  his  company  before.  His 
spirit  and  manner,  his  zeal  for  God,  and  his  anxiety  to 
bring  souls  to  Christ,  were  the  subjects  of  my  observa- 
tion and  serious  reflection ;  and  I  trust,  not  without 
profit.  We  stopped  at  Major  Bingham's  three  days ; 
where  he  preached  to  that  gentleman  and  his  family, 
not  only  generally,  but  individually,  with  powerfid 
effect." 

The  most  remarkable  incident  during  that  visit  was 
a  rencounter  between  Mr.  Ouseley  and  the  parish-priest 
This  scene  was  also  witnessed  by  Mr.  Fcely,  then  a 
sincere  and  intelligent  Roman  Catholic.  IVL-.  Bruce 
continues  :  "  On  Sunday  morning  Mr.  Ouseley  preach- 
ed in  Major  Bingham's  parlor ;  and,  accompanied  by 
the  major  and  myself,  proceeded  to  Bingham's  Town. 
Father  Jordan  had  celebrated  ma.ss  at  the  end  of  an 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  239 


old  house,  and  had  gone  into  a  shebeen-house  to  take 
his  grog.  A  number  of  people  strolling  along  the  shore, 
and  some  standing  in  groups  talking  to  each  other,  Mi'. 
Ouseley  took  his  stand  in  a  convenient  spot,  wth  the 
major  on  the  one  hand  and  myself  on  .the  other.  While 
he  sung  two  verses  of  a  hj  mn  in  English  and  Irish  a 
large  congregation  assembled,  and  he  addressed  them 
in  Irish.  They  seemed  amazed ;  and  soon  indications 
of  deep  interest  were  evident,  the  big  tears  streaming 
from  their  eyes,  and  the  heavy  sobs  which  were  per- 
ceptible. All  showed  that  the  Holy  Spirit  applied  the 
word  to  their  hearts.  In  the  mean  while  father  Jor- 
dan came  forth  from  the  cabin  in  which  he  had  been 
regaling  himself,  and  such  a  scene  took  place  as  I  shall 
never  forget  in  this  world.  The  reverend  father  began 
by  driving  the  people  away ;  sometimes  using  Ms  stick 
for  the  purpose.  Jlr.  Ouseley  spoke  to  him  on  the  im- 
propriety of  preventing  the  poor  people  from  hearing 
the  gospel,  when  a  desultory  argument  took  place  be- 
tween them,  ]\Ir.  Ouseley  sometimes  quoting  Scriptui-e, 
and  sometimes  the  Council  of  Trent,  and  sometimes 
the  fathers.  The  priest  soon  reUnquished  the  con- 
test, and  again  used  the  stick  to  drive  the  people  away. 
Mr.  Ouseley  cried  out,  '  Don't  be  surprised,  my  good 
people,  at  what  this  man  is  doing.  He  is  sworn  on  the 
holy  evangelists  to  prevent  you  from  hearing  me.' 
The  priest  denied  it ;  but  said  he  did  his  duty  in  pre- 
veutmg  his  people  from  heai-ing  heretics.  '  O !'  said 
'Mr.  Ouseley,  '  you  need  not  tell  me.  I  know  your 
I  oath  as  well  as  you  do  yourself  Then  taking  the 
I  Council  of  Trent  out  of  his  pocket,  he  read  part  of  it 
in  Latin,  and  translated  it  into  English  and  Irish,  to 
the  no  small  annoyance  of  the  priest." 


240        MEMOEIAI.  OF  GIDEON  ODSELET. 


A  Roman  Catliolic  gentleman  in  the  crowd,  a  Mr. 
O'Donald,  who  had  heard  Mr.  Bruce  in  his  own  house, 
and  was  very  much  pleased,  was  anxious  to  hear  Mr. 
Ouseley,  and  said  aloud,  "  We  must  hear  what  the 
gentleman  has  ta  say.  'We  will  wait  and  hear  for  our- 
selves." The  priest  addressed  him  in  a  veiy  angry 
tone :  "  Go  home  :  you  have  heard  mass ;  that  's 
quite  enough  for  you."  The  gentleman  turned  at  the 
priest  in  the  most  contemptuous  manner,  and  gave  him 
such  a  reply  as  was  suitable  to  the  character  of  the 
holy  father ;  but,  while  it  exposed  him  to  the  ridicule 
of  all  present,  partook  too  much  of  the  ludicrous  to  be 
inserted  here.  At  the  suggestion  of  Alajor  Bingham, 
Mr.  Ouseley  rode  across  a  stream  at  a  little  distance ; 
and  then,  in  his  usual  style  and  manner,  j)reached  on, 
"  Thou  art  Peter ;  and  on  this  rock  I  v;ill  build  my 
church,"  &c.  The  word  was  with  powerful  effect; 
although  the  priest  in  the  mean  while  was  beating  an 
old  kettle,  in  order  to  drown  the  voice  of  the  preacher  ; 
in  which  work,  according  to  Mr.  Feely,  lie  was  aided 
by  an  itinerant  tinker,  who  was  there,  selling  his  ware. 
]\Iajor  Bingham  and  Messrs.  Ouseley  and  Bruce  were 
all  the  time  on  horseback.  In  the  evening  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley preached  again  in  the  major's  parlor.  "  Thus 
ended,"  says  Mr.  Bruce,  "  one  of  the  most  memorable 
days  of  my  life." 

Mr.  Ouseley  soon  rejoined  me ;  and  we  isitcd  several 
more  towns  in  the  western  province — Sligo,  Boyle, 
Carrick-on-Shannon,  Ballinamorc,  Mohill,  Strokestown, 
Elphin,  Koscommon,  Castlerea,  &c.;  and  even  for  a 
short  time  proceeded  into  the  county  of  Cavan,  and 
for  eight  or  nine  weeks  matters  of  great  importance 
and  intere.=5t  were  of  daily  occurrence.    He  visited 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  241 


gentry,  clergy,  and  bishops,  on  his  way,  and  almost  in 
every  case  met  a  generous  reception  ;  and  I  have  rea- 
son to  believe  that,  through  the  blessing  of  his  divine 
Master,  his  visits  were  not  only  gratifying  but  profit- 
able to  the  several  classes  of  persons  where  he  called, 
as  were  his  pubhc  ministrations  in  the  numerous  towns 
in  which  they  were  exercised. 

When  we  reached  Dunmore,  IMi-.  Ouseley's  presence 
was  hailed  by  his  friends ;  but  even  here,  where  a  little 
rest  would  have  been  requisite  and  natural,  he  must 
preach  in  the  street.  Standing  at  the  end  of  an  inn  in 
the  town,  with  his  own  father's  residence  in  view,  he 
delivered  to  a  dense  crowd  a  discourse,  in  Irish,  of  a 
full  hour's  length.  Such  a  torrent  of  Irish  eloquence 
I  never  before  listened  to.  One  man  in  the  crowd 
endeavored  to  interrupt  him,  but  he  was  soon  silenced 
by  Mr.  Ouseley  ;  and  the  whole  assembly  was  greatly 
affected.  When  we  came  to  his  father's,  the  old  gen- 
tleman heard  that  some  fellow  had  interrupted  his  son. 
He  was  ready  to  sally  forth  "  to  chastise  the  ruffian 
that  dare,  in  his  own  town,  to  interrupt  his  beloved 
Gideon." 

If  one  week  or  day  which  Mr.  Bruce  spent  in  Mr. 
Ouseley's  company  was  really  so  memorable,  what 
effect  must  three  years  of  Christian  communion,  and 
of  associated  labors  and  travels,  have  had  on  my 
memory  and  heart '?  Some  of  those  unpressions  have 
already  been  faintly  depicted ;  but  no  language  could 
adequately  describe  the  veneration  which  I  entertained 
for  that  singular  man — veneration  increased  by  every 
day's  acquaintance,  and  blended  with  tender  aflection, 
which  time  cannot  efface.  But  the  period  arrives 
when  a  separation  must  take  place.  "WTiile  I  am  ap- 
16 


242        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


pointed  to  a  more  limited  sphere,  Mr.  Ouseley,  after 
five  years  of  almost  unprecedented  effort,  and  con-es- 
ponding  prosperity,  is  removed  to  another  province,  to 
pursue  a  similar  course  of  unwearied  toil,  and  to  wit- 
ness Uke  gracious  evidences  of  divine  approval  and 
success.  Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  XI. 

Irish  Conference  of  1813 — Dr.  Coke  presides  for  the  last  time — Mr.  Ouseley  offerB  him- 

Noble  to  be  his  colleague— Awakened  under  a  sermon  preached  by  Mr.  Ouseley  in 
Fintona— Many  who  were  destined  for  tlie  ministry  converted  by  means  of  Mr.  O.— 
Rev.  William  Copeland,  Rev.  James  Hgrnc,  and  others— During-  the  first  year  Mr. 
Ouseley  extends  his  labors  beyond  the  prescribeil  bounds— Obtains  two  more  colleague* 
the  second  year— Labors  very  generally  through  the  kingdom— Not  confined  to  Ire- 
land—Visits England  and  Scotlaotl— Mode  of  preachin«r,  the  same  as  described,  pur- 
sued with  increasing  success— Appointed  several  successive  yeais  as  a  general  mis- 
sionary— Tours  to  the  soutli  attended  with  greol  success — His  liescripiiun  of  Philip 
Korke— Rebukes  a  priest  at  Manorhamilton — Travels  extensively— Witnesses  won- 
derful effects  of  the  gospel— Preaches  to  great  crowds  in  Eunislnllen— Narrowly 
escapes  with  his  life  from  a  mob  in  Killetter  fair— Escape  in  the  south  of  Ireland— lo 
Connaught— Field  meeting  in  the  county  of  Donegal— Rides  twenty  miles  through 
incessant  rain— Labors  in  Eniiiskilleii— Duiigiinnon— Monaghan— Supinciiess  of  the 

Dublin— Many  real  couverls  who  from  fear  dare  not  avow  the  change. 

My  Dear  Fkieni>, — The  conference  of  1813  was  one 
of  deep  interest  to  the  preachers  of  the  Insh  connec- 
tion. It  was  the  hist  time  that  Dr.  Coke  filled  the  pre- 
sident's chair.  His  mind  was  deeply  impressed  with 
the  claims  of  India,  so  that  he  sometimes  seemed  wholly 
engrossed  by  the  all-absorbing  subject ;  Buchanan's 
Christian  Researches  before  him,  his  fore-finger  em- 
bossed in  his  cheek,  and  at  intervals  crying  out,  "I  am 
now  alive  only  for  India !"  When  the  question,  "Who 
will  offer  himself  to  accompany  Dr.  Coke  to  India " 
was  heard  in  the  conference,  Mr.  Ouseley  was  one  of 
the  first  to  volunteer  for  this  new  and  arduous  under- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  243 


taking.  He  stood  forth  in  the  conference,  with  tears 
streaming  from  his  eyes,  lamenting  that  he  had  been 
comparatively  unsucccssfiil  among  his  countrymen,  and 
that  he  believed  he  would  be  more  useful  in  a  strange 
land.  Dr.  Coke  would  have  been  delighted  to  avail 
himself  of  the  offer  of  his  friend  as  his  colleague ;  but 
the  conference  interposed.  "Mr.  Ouseley  cannot  be 
spared ;  he  has  not  yet  fulfilled  his  mission  in  his  na- 
tive country,  and  his  place  cannot  be  supplied  on  the 
Irish  mission."  In  vain  the  doctor  pleaded ;  in  vain 
the  candidate  for  India  urged,  with  tears,  a  variety  of 
reasons  why  he  should  go ;  his  knowledge  of  the  clas- 
sics gave  him  facility  in  learning  languages,  and  that 
there  was  a  great  affinit}-  between  the  Irish  language 
and  some  of  the  languages  of  Europe  spoken  in  Cey- 
lon, &c.  The  conference  was  inflexible,  and  over- 
ruled the  determination.  It  will  be  seen,  in  the  course 
of  this  letter,  that  the  Irish  Conference  was  under  the 
direction  of  divine  AVisdom  in  its  decision,  and  that 
the  providential  sphere  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  future  labors 
was  Ireland. 

The  next  appointment  of  our  Irish  missionary  was 
to  the  counties  of  Antrim  and  Londonderry ;  but  in 
reality  a  much  more  general  field  of  usefulness  was 
occupied  by  him  than  that  nominally  assigned  him. 
And  whatever  restrictions  seemed  to  mark  his  limits, 
nothing  could  control  his  indomitable  zeal  and  deter- 
mination in  going  forth  at  large  to  preach  the  gospel 
throughout  the  land.  And  during  the  following  years 
he  was  directed  by  the  same  hallowed  impulse  in  his 
arduous  enterprise  ;  and,  as  will  appear,  his  labor  was 
not  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

Mr.  Ouseley's  ministry  was  effectual,  in  numerous 


244       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


instances,  In  the  conversion  of  young  men,  who  were 
themselves  destined  by  Providence  for  the  sacred  call- 
ing, and  who  became  able  ministers  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment, not  only  in  the  Methodist  connection,  but  idso 
in  other  churches. 

Mr,  Noble  was  among  the  fruits  of  his  early  ministrj-. 
A  short  time  after  their  appointment  to  the  Idsh  mis- 
sion, Messrs,  Graham  and  Ouseley,  with  their  Bibles 
in  tlieir  hands,  their  black  caps  on,  rode  into  the  town 
of  Fintona,  and  opened  their  great  commission  to  sur- 
rounding multitudes.  Mr.  Ouseley  was  the  preacher 
on  the  occasion;  his  text  was  Rev.  vi,  17,  "For  the 
great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come ;  and  who  shall  be  able 
to  stand  ?"  All  heard  with  the  deepest  attention  and 
many  tears.  A  youth,  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  was 
by  curiosity  drawn  to  the  spot,  and  was  deeply  struck 
with  the  appearance  of  that  extraordinary  man,  while 
tears,  mingled  with  perspiration,  rolled  down  his  face. 
At  the  conclusion  of  his  discourse,  and  just  as  he  was 
riding  away  through  the  crowd,  he  raised  his  voice, 
and  vehemently  cried  out,  "  O  Fintona,  Fintona  !  re- 
member that  on  the  great  day  which  I  have  been  en- 
deavoring to  describe,  you  will  recall  to  mind  that  a 
man,  sitting  on  his  horse  in  the  street,  warned  you  to 
prepare  to  meet  your  God."  The  lad  referred  to  was 
overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of  his  sin  and  guilt,  cried 
earnestly  for  mercy,  and  soon  obtained  forgiveness,  and 
a  sense  of  his  acceptance  through  the  atoning  blood. 
This  was  the  person  who  was  now  appointed  to  share 
for  seven  or  eight  successive  years  in  the  toils  and 
travels  of  his  spiritual  father.  "  The  late  venerable 
Gideon  Ouseley,"  says  Mr.  Noble,  "  was  my  father  in 
the  gospel :  and  little  did  I  think  at  the  period  of  my 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  245 


conversion,  that  the  providence  of  God  would  have 
called  me  into  the  mission  field,  much  less  that  I  should 
one  day  be  appointed  by  the  conference  as  fellow-tra- 
veler with  this  faithful  man  of  God,  who  had  been  the 
instrument  of  my  conversion." 

The  late  Rev.  William  Copeland,  about  the  same 
period,  then  a  youth,  was  led  to  a  saving  knowledge 
of  Christ  by  the  same  instrumentalitj'.  By  a  street 
sermon  of  Mr.  Ouseley  he  was  brought  under  spirit- 
ual^ concern,  which  issued  in  his  conversion,  and  sub- 
sequently to  the  consecration  of  himself  to  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  He  many  years  sustained  a  high  place 
in  the  Methodist  connection  as  a  man  of  saintly  cha- 
racter, and  a  distinguished  minister  of  the  gospel.  On 
Mr.  Ouseley's  fii-st  appointment  to  the  Galway  mission, 
the  Rev.  James  Horne  heard  and  received  the  gospel 
from  his  lips,  and  was  always  after  claimed  by  Mr. 
Ouseley  as  his  spiritual  child.  In  one  of  his  letters  to 
the  committee  he  does  not  hesitate  to  state  this  fact. 
Mr.  Horne  has  long  been  a  useful  missionary  in  the 
West  Indies.  Many  more  might  in  like  manner  be 
named,  who,  in  after  years,  were  through  his  means 
made  the  ministers  of  grace  to  others;  and  some 
clergj-men  of  eminence  and  distinction  in  the  Esta- 
blished Church  received  their  first  religious  impres- 
sions under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Ouseley. 

During  1813,  and  the  three  or  four  succeeding  years, 
the  Irish  missionarj'  extended  his  labors  and  travels  far 
beyond  the  bounds  prescribed ;  and  so  convinced  was 
the  conference  of  the  value  of  his  exertions  in  this  ex- 
traordinary way,  that  he  was  granted  two  additional 
colleagues,  and  the  year  following,  three ;  so  greatly 
grew  the  word  of  the  Lord.    By  verj-  strong  argu- 


24:6         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  ODSELET. 


ments,  Mr.  Ouseley  shows  his  peculiar  call  to  the  Irish 
generally,  and  supplies  many  instances  of  undeniable 
evidence  confirmatory  of  his  views  on  this  important 
subject.  "  I  have  left  Messrs.  Kidd  and  Johnston  on 
their  station,  Mr.  Noble  and  I  having  resolved  to  take 
the  kingdom  at  large,  and  preach  in  the  broad  places 
thereof — even  in  the  open  streets." 

So  intensely  was  he  engaged  in  pursuit  of  the  great 
object,  that  sometimes  he  would,  in  distant  places  of 
the  kingdom,  continue  in  incessant  labors  during  six 
months  without  being  more  than  one  week  at  home. 
"  On  the  11th  of  May,"  Mr.  Ouseley  remarks,  "I  had 
to  lay  by  my  pen  before  I  could  close  my  letter,  nor 
could  I  take  it  up  again,  with  preaching,  long  journeys, 
&c.,  till  I  have  at  length  reached  home,  not  having 
spent  more  than  one  week  in  all  with  my  dear  wife 
since  November  last  till  now,  nor  ha-(-ing  seen  her  but 
twice  in  all  that  time ;  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  so  in- 
creased on  every  hand  that  I  could  not  spare  time, 
properly  speaking,  for  anything  else  but  to  attend  to 
it.  I  have  been  always  of  opinion,  that  if  I  would  do 
good  to  the  Roman  Catholics,  while  my  health  con- 
tinues, and  as  I  speak  in  the  Irish  tongue  so  much, 
there  is  no  better  plan  for  me  than  to  travel  through 
the  kingdom  as  extensively  as  possible,  and  to  preach 
all  I  can,  without  and  within.  Thus  I  come  to  them 
unexpectedly,  and  they  hear  quietly  before  the  priests 
can  have  time  to  warn  them.  This  has  so  well  suc- 
ceeded this  year  that  more  Roman  Catholics  have  been 
awakened,  and  joined  our  society  since  last  conference, 
than  I  have  seen  for  five  years  together.  Even  since 
I  last  wrote  to  you,  in  January,  about  twenty  have 
joined  in  my  course." 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEOX  OUSELEY.  247 


The  prosperity  attending  the  extraordinary  labors 
of  Mr.  Ouseley  had  been  so  remarkable,  and  the  pros- 
pects were  so  cheering,  that  the  conference  was 
anxious  to  have  the  opening  everywhere,  if  possible, 
entered,  and  therefore  directed  that  he  should,  at  this 
time,  take  an  extensive  range,  not  only  through  the 
dark  places  of  the  earth,  but  among  our  societies 
throughout  the  kingdom.  "Wherever  he  went  his 
presence  was  hailed  by  his  brethren,  and  in  every 
place  God  vouchsafed  unequivocal  indications  of  divine 
approval.  Mr.  Ouseley  visited  the  counties  of  Wex- 
ford and  Wicklow ;  and  in  the  towns  where  I  then 
labored,  the  visits  of  this  servant  of  this  Lord  were 
attended  with  unprecedented  success.  In  a  letter  to 
Mi\  Ouseley,  about  this  time,  I  stated  my  views  of  the 
work,  which  I  may  here  be  allowed  to  quote : — "  Xothing 
can  exceed  my  astonishment  at  the  work  in  Arklow 
and  Wicklow,  &c.,  since  you  and  brother  Noble  were 
there.  The  most  extraoi-dinary  conversions  which  I 
have  ever  seen  or  heard  of,  have  taken  place  in  this 
country.  The  subjects  of  this  work,  of  course,  are 
various ;  some  very  respectable,  some  abandoned, 
one  atheist,  and  some  most  singidar  persecutors, 
have  been  convinced,  converted,  and  saved  from  sin ; 
and  some  of  our  old  professors  have  been  sanctified. 
Jehovah  smiles  over  all  the  land,  '  the  wilderness 
rejoices  and  blossoms  as  the  rose.' " 

Mr.  Ouseley  visited  these  places  again  with  like 
results.  The  whole  south  of  Ireland  was  wonderfully 
affected ;  and  every  part  where  he  visited  the  good 
Lord  accompanied  his  word,  untO,  according  to  his 
o>vn  account,  not  less  than  two  thousand,  from  Novem- 
ber to  May,  were  added,  by  his  instrumentaUty,  to  the 


248        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


Methodist  societies.  Mr.  Noble  was  so  exhausted  as  to 
require  some  rest,  and  he  went  home  for  that  purpose, 
while  jMr.  Ouseley  with  undiminished  strength  and 
ardor  continued  his  toil.  I  was  urgently  requested  to 
take  a  tour  with  him,  leaving  Mr.  Andrew  Taylor  in 
my  place.  This  was  mentioned  to  JMr.  Ouseley  in  a 
letter  to  the  mission-house  : — "  Brother  Reilly  has  been 
on  a  short  tour  or  two  with  me,  in  brother  Noble's 
absence."  One  short  tour"  was  through  nearly  all 
the  counties  in  the  south  of  Ireland,  and  lasted  six 
weeks.  I  heard  Mr.  Ouseley  frequently,  and  again 
witnessed  his  uncommon  zeal  and  wonderful  success. 
■When  in  the  city  of  Cork  I  admired  him  more  than  on 
any  former  occasion.  Night  and  day,  in  public  and 
private,  with  unwearied  diligence,  he  endeavored  to 
persuade  men  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  I  cannot  for- 
get one  discourse  of  his  in  the  large  chapel  in  Patrick- 
street.  The  Rev.  Tliomas  Waugh  and  I  sat  behind 
him  in  the  pulpit,  while,  on  a  Sunday  evening,  he 
earnestly  and  affectionately  urged  the  crowded  congre- 
gation to  give  up  their  sins,  and  yield  their  hearts  to 
God.  He  placed  before  them  the  danger  of  con- 
tinuing in  sin — that  it  would  he  as  fatal  to  the  soul  as 
poison  is  to  the  body.  He  illustrated  this  by  a  reference 
to  an  occurrence  which  took  place  in  Kilrush,  in  the 
county  of  Clare,  some  years  before.  "  I  knew  a  lady 
in  the  county  of  Clai-e," — and^as  if  he  wished  to  confirm 
his  testimony,  he  turned  round  suddenly,  and  said, 
"  brother  Reilly  knew  her  too.  She  one  day  took  a 
vial  off  her  sideboard,  and,  mistaking  it  for  another, 
poured  out  a  glass  of  its  contents,  and  swallowed  it. 
She  felt  herself  indisposed  immediately,  and  rang  the 
bell  most  violently  ;  and  when  the  servant  approached 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  249 


she  cried  out,  *  Vfhat  was  in  that  bottle  ?'  '  Laudanum, 
ma'am,'  was  the  reply.  '  Laudanum !'  she  said, '  I  am 
a  dead  woman  !  I  have  swallowed  a  glass  of  it.'  She 

ran  to  the  office  of  her  husband,  and  cried  out, '  P  , 

my  love,  I  am  a  dead  woman !  I  have  swallowed  a 
dose  of  poison — send  for  Dr.  Elliot  immediately.'  The 
doctor  was  sent  for ;  he  administered  a  strong  emetic, 
and  the  poison  was  dislodged ;  but  she  had  not  an  easy 
moment  while  the  poison  remained.  And  yet,"  he 
added,  "  you  will  eat,  and  drink,  and  sleep — you  will 
laugh,  and  sing,  and  dance — take  your  pleasure,  and 
transact  your  business,  and  the  poison  of  hell  in  your 
soul."  This  was  expressed  with  a  gravity  and  force 
that  were  indeed  appalling,  and  must  have  greatly 
affected  all  who  heard  it. 

The  details  of  the  years  of  which  we  have  been 
taking  a  survey  are  most  interesting  and  important, 
but  far  too  numerous  to  be  transcribed  into  this  letter ; 
yet  some  of  them  are  so  striking  and  characteristic, 
that  they  cannot  be  dispensed  with  in  a  record  like 
this,  though  the  transcriber  might  earn  to  himself  the 
charge  of  prolixitj'.  Among  those  places  in  which 
large  outpourings  of  the  Holy  Spirit  were  experienced, 
we  have  seen  numbered  the  towns  of  the  county  of 
Wicklow.  Those  of  the  counties  of  Carlow  and  Wex- 
ford may  also  be  included.  The  town  of  Newtown- 
barry  is  mentioned  by  Mr.  Ouseley  as  being  greatly 
■•  moved,"  especially  at  a  morning  sermon,  &c.  "  He 
jiroached  on  Monday  morning,"  says  Mr.  Thomas 
I'aiber,  "  and  after  preaching  held  a  prayer  meeting, 

he  had  done  the  evening  before,  when  others  pro- 
1  -  cd  to  have  found  peace  with  God.  His  mode  of 
j)j'paohing  that  morning  was  very  peculiar,  and  did 


2o0         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


great  execution  among  the  people.  Ilis  subject  was, 
the  opposition  between  the  flesh  and  spirit,  as 
mentioned  in  Galatians  v,  19.  'Every  person  under 
the  dominion  of  the  flesh,'  said  Mr.  Ouseley,  '  is  pos- 
sessed by  a  monster  with  seventeen  rjioutlis  ;  and  every 
mouth  seeking  food  suited  to  its  nature.'  He  here 
named  the  mouths — the  people  appeared  horror-struck, 
and  many  of  them  roared  aloud  for  mercy.  The  re- 
sult of  these  meetings  was  the  addition  of  sixty  mem- 
bers to  the  society." 

In  the  beginning  of  August,  1818,  he  passed  on  to 
the  city  of  Derry  ;  and  in  a  tour  of  thirty-two  days  he 
traveled  four  hundred  miles,  and  preached  in  his  usual 
manner,  "  in  and  out  of  doors."  He  then  went  home 
to  breathe  a  day  or  two,  and  immediately  returned  to 
the  work  at  Derry.  He  preached  in  the  morning  at 
nine  o'clock,  at  the  love-feast,  and  the  meeting  con- 
tinued until  one  o'clock.  Here  a  Roman  Catholic 
schoolmaster,  who  had  heard  him  the  week  before, 
came  that  morning  seven  miles  to  hear  him,  remained 
at  the  love-feast,  was  powerfully  and  deeply  afl'ected, 
trembled,  and  wept,  and  cried  aloud"  for  mercy,  but 
soon  was  able  with  joy  to  cry  out,  "  Glory  to  God  for 
his  mercy." 

Another  Romanist  near  Burrisokane,  whose  name 
was  Philip  Rorke,  a  great  devotee,  was,  about  this 
period,  led  ta  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  ti-uth.  Before 
Mr.  Ouseley  saw  him  he  had  become  acquainted  with 
some  JNIethodists  in  the  neighborhood  of  Burrisokane, 
by  whose  moans  he  was  enlightened,  and  heard  the 
Bible  read,  which  created  wonder  in  his  mind.  He 
was  about  fifty  years  of  age,  and  was  wholly  unedu- 
cated, though  in  several  orders  of  the  Church  of  Rome 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  251 


— such  as  the  scapular,  St.  Francis's  cord,  St. 
Joseph's  habit  and  ring,  &c.  He  repeated  many- 
rosaries,  and  was  reputed  a  person  of  great  piety. 
But  the  Lord  laid  great  trouble  on  his  mind,  and  he 
found  no  rest  because  of  his  sin.  In  his  distress  he 
went  to  several  priests,  to  inquire  what  he  should  do 
to  be  saved.  One  said  to  him,  "  Go  to  Lough  Derg ;" 
another  said,  "  Go  to  Lady's  Island ;"  a  third  said, 
"  Receive  the  Lord's  body ;"  to  whom  he  replied,  "  Does 
your  reverence  tliink  you  can  make  the  Lord's  body 
for  me  ?"  ■•  I  have  that  power,  Philip,"  said  the  priest ; 
"  can  you  doubt  it  ?"'  "  Please  j  our  reverence,"  said 
Philip,  "  I  have  two  little  hens,  but  no  cow,  now  if  you 
can  turn  them  into  two  milch  cows  for  my  children,  to 
give  us  milk,  I  shall  believe  then  that  you  have  the  power 
you  say."  This  was  too  severe  a  test ;  no  reply  was 
attempted,  but  "  Get  agone,  get  agone,"  and  so  they 
parted. 

Mr.  Ouseley  having  to  pass  through  this  countiy 
immediately  after  the  conference,  on  his  way  to  Con- 
naught,  met  with  Philip,  and  got  for  him  a  pair  of  spec- 
tacles and  a  spelling  book.  The  experience  of  this 
poor  man  is  related  by  ISlr.  Ouseley ;  and  shows,  in  a 
striking  degree,  the  power  of  divine  grace.  He  was 
blessedly  led  out  of  ignorance  and  sin  into  the  enjoy- 
ment of  gospel  hght,  and  into  the  favor  and  the  peace 
of  God ;  and  he  clearly  and  satisfactorily  expressed 
lilmself  on  this  interesting  subject,  and  in  bis  own  art- 
k'ss  way  prayed  and  talked  with  his  neighbors,  so  that 
they  would  rather  have  heard  him  than  the  priest. 

Several  others  that  year,  especially  of  the  better 
educated,  who  had  read  Mr.  Ouseley's  work  on  the 
Popish  controversy,  were  convinced  of  their  errors ; 


252       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OCSELET. 

and  being  induced  to  hear  him  preach,  were  more  fully 
enlightened,  received  the  gospel,  and  joined  the  Me- 
thodist society.    One  woman,  Bridget  M  ,  in  the 

county  of  Down,  had  heard  Mr.  Ouseley  seventeen 
years  before,  and  received  the  truth  ;  but,  being  kept 
back  by  the  priest,  though  she  retained  her  confidence, 
she  was  prevented  from  meeting  with  the  Methodists 
for  ten  years,  and  never  all  that  time  heard  another 
sermon  than  that  she  had  heard  from  Mr.  Ouseley, 
until  she  joined  the  Methodists.  He  met  her  now, 
after  her  seven  years'  connection  with  the  society.  A 
singular  instance  of  the  power  of  divine  truth  is  also 
mentioned  by  Mr.  Ouseley,  of  one  of  the  Romish 
priests  of  Sligo,  who  preached  vehemently  against  the 
erroi's  of  Rome  ;  and  so  high  was  he  in  the  esteem  and 
affection  of  the  people,  that  the  bishop  dare  not  depose 
him.  He  soon  after  died,  and  they  found  it  very  diffi- 
cult to  supply  his  place. 

Mr.  Ouseley  on  this  tour  reached  Manorhamilton ; 
and  while  preaching  in  the  street  was  opposed  by  a 
Romish  priest,  but  the  veteran  warrior  retorted  on  his 
antagonist  with  powerful  effect.  "  Pray,  sir,"  said  Mr. 
Ouseley,  "  is  it  not  one  of  the  six  sins  against  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  oppugn  the  known  truth  ?  You  know  that 
what  I  am  saying  is  the  truth  of  God.  You  are  sworn 
on  the  gospel  to  believe  it,  and  yet  you  oppose  it. 
You  are  guilty  of  one  of  the  sins  against  the  Holy 
Ghost."  The  priest  fled  as  if  for  his  life,  and  left  Mr. 
Ouseley  in  possession  at  once  of  his  argument  and  con- 
gregation. He  by  and  by  got  back  again  into  the 
skirts  of  the  crowd,  crying  to  the  people,  "  The  devil 
take  you  all !  what  are  you  doing  there  ?" 

Mr.  0.  next  proceeded  to  Enniskillen,  where  a 


HEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  253 


■wonderful  excitement  was  produced  by  his  visit.  He 
invited  the  people  in  the  market  to  come  to  the  suburbs 
of  the  town  to  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord.  Two  thou- 
sand people  followed  to  hear  him  preach  in  the  skirts 
of  the  town.  He  rode  through  the  market  with  his 
black  cap  on,  and  his  Bible  in  his  hand,  inviting  the 
people  to  follovv".  Many  of  the  Roman  Catholics  left 
the  market  to  hear  the  word ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  all 
business  was  suspended,  while  he  preached,  in  EngUsh 
and  L-ish,  the  mercy  of  God,  and  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ,  to  all  returning  sinners,  without  re- 
spect of  persons.  '•  The  Lord  gave  us,"'  says  Mr.  O., 
"  a  most  solemn  season  ;  while  tears  flowed,  and  sighs 
and  sounds  of  prayer  were  heard  throughout  the  whole 
crowd."  No  remark  is  requisite  in  relating  these  ex- 
traordinarj'  exertions  and  their  blessed  effects. 

In  July,  1819,  Mr.  Ouseley  expresses  himself  in 
strong  and  grateful  tei-ms  on  the  subject  of  his  toils 
the  preceding  year : — "  The  past  year  has  been  the 
most  laborious  and  most  prosperous  year,  for  the  con- 
viction and  conversion  of  sinners,  and  of  the  enhght- 
ening  and  conversion  of  Roman  Catholics,  that  I  have 
witnessed  in  L-eland  these  eighteen  years;  nay,  or 
since  I  commenced  my  itinerant  course,  this  confer- 
ence twenty  years.  I  have  also  kept  an  exact  account 
of  the  miles  I  have  traveled  on  horseback,  and  all 
nearly  on  the  same  horse — about  four  thousand  four 
hundred  miles." 

We  have  seen  some  of  the  varied  movements  and 
labors  of  ^Ir.  Ouseley  in  this  and  former  years,  and 
tlie  gracious  results  which  followed  in  every  place. 
Some  things  are  deserving  of  particular  notice,  how- 
ever, and  I  shall  advert  to  them  with  as  much  brevity 


254       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


as  possible.  On  the  21st  of  May,  Messrs.  Ouseley  and 
Noble  preached  in  the  fair  of  Ballybophay,  county  of 
Donegal,  to  a  listening  and  deeply  aS'eeted  multitude, 
who  prayed  for  blessings  on  them  while  they  rode 
aw.ay.  Very  different  was  the  reception  they  met 
with  in  Killetter,  county  of  Tyrone,  another  town, 
about  nine  miles  from  the  former  place.  It  was  either 
a  fair  or  a  great  market,  and  the  town  was  filled  with 
mountaineers  of  a  peculiarly  ignorant  description,  and 
of  a  very  desperate  character.  They  reached  the 
place  between  three  and  four  o'clock ;  and  commenced 
singing  in  English  and  Lish,  and  nearly  the  whole 
fair  gathered  around  them,  and  listened  for  awhile 
with  a  degree  of  attention  ;  but  some  drunken  men 
came  into  the  crowd,  and  some  reckless  young  men, 
who  began  to  push  and  pull  one  another  to  ci-eate  dis- 
turbance. Mr.  Ouseley  spoke  to  them  in  Irish,  to  no 
purpose ;  when  they  commenced  throwing  stones  at  the 
horses'  feet,  to  disturb  rather  than  hurt,  it  would  appear. 
Soon,  however,  the  young  people  seemed  intent  on 
murdering  God's  servants.  A  person  led  Mr.  Noble's 
horse  out  of  the  crowd ;  and  an  opening  being  made, 
Mr.  Ouseley  followed;  but  Mr.  Keys,  who  accom- 
panied them,  was  detained  by  the  mob.  This  is  most 
affectingly  described  by  both  Mr.  Ouseley  and  Mr. 
Noble.  "  My  beast  flew  off,"  says  jMr.  Ouseley,  "  as 
did  brother  Noble's;  and  a  shower  of  cudgels  and 
stones  instantly  flew  after  us.  One  hit  him  on  the 
head,  stunned  and  bruised  him,  and  knocked  off  his 
liat ;  but  I  escaped  without  any  contusion.  The  whole 
fair  pursued  us ;  but  our  horses  were  too  swift  for 
them,  and  God  was  with  us.  Those  whom  we  met  on 
our  retreat,  seeing  our  black  caps  on,  thought  we  were 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


255 


running  a  race,  and  did  not  annoy  us.  Brother  Noble 
was  foremost  in  the  flight,  for  I  had  reined  in  when  I 
found  wc  were  out  of  danger.  I  began  to  laugh  a 
little,  when  I  beheld  him  in  such  terror,  still  making 
otf  with  all  speed,  for  he  feared  they  would  take  some 
short  cut,  and  come  in  with  us  and  murder  us.  He 
almost  feared  to  look  behind,  thinking  I  had  been 

J  killed,  or  at  least  that  he  should  see  me  covered  with 
blood  ;  but,  to  God  be  the  glory  !  we  escaped  with  our 
live.",  to  praise  our  great  Deliverer.  They  beat  our 
hats  most  heartily,  when  they  could  not  get  ourselves. 
Brother  Keys  they  surrounded,  after  returning  from 
us.  They  threw  at  him,  struck  his  beast,  and  made 
her  leap  from  side  to  side ;  and  he  fell  among  them. 
At  length  one  of  them  spoke  out,  and  said,  '  Mr.  Keys, 
I  know  you.  I  heard  you  preach  at  a  funeral  a  few 
days  ago.  I  liked  your  doctrine  and  yourself  No 
man  shall  injure  you.    Fear  not.'    His  hat,  however, 

I  fell  off,  and  it  they  cut  up  with  their  cudgels ;  but  the 
Lord  presen-ed  him  unhurt  He  got  but  one  stroke, 
and  was  not  much  the  worse  for  it.  The  man  and  his 
party  put  him  on  his  horse,  led  him  a  piece  out  of  the 
town,  and  after  he  had  ridden  two  or  three  miles  he 
came  up  with  us  galloping,  while  yet  we  were  wistfully 
looking  behind  to  see  if  he  were  coming,  not  knowing 
how  he  could  possibly  escape  their  fury.  Thus  I  have 
•/iven  you  the  narrative  of  our  happy  escape;  and 
iloubt  not  but  you  will  join  with  us  in  giving  glory  to 
liiui  that  sits  upon  the  throne,  and  hath  kept  all  our 
bones,  so  that  none  of  them  was  broken." 

^Ir.  Noble  says,  "  AV'hile  we  were  in  the  midst  of  the 
crowd,  they  seemed  afraid  to  throw  the  stones  with 
great  \iolence,  but  on  our  getting  clear  a  shower  of 


256        MEMOEIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 

stoites  came  after  us;  one  of  them  struck  me  on  the 
head  and  carried  ofi'  my  hat,  which  I  had  just  put  on 
over  my  black  cap,  and  I  never  saw  it  since.  As 
several  of  the  people  followed  us,  and  got  through  the 
fields  in  order  to  intercept  us,  we  had  to  put  our  horses 
to  their  full  speed ;  and  in  passing  men  who  were  re- 
turning from  the  fair,  and  did  not  perceive  the  crowd 
after  us,  but  concluded  we  were  jockeys  running  a 
race,  they  said  to  one  another,  'Dear  me;  but  the 
little  fellow  is  a  good  rider ;  he  '11  beat  the  old  feUow  all 
to  pieces.' 

"  We  reached  brother  Mathewson's,"  continues  Mi*. 
Ouseley,  "  where  was  a  smile  of  joy  and  welcome  on 
every  countenance.  We  got  refreshment;  and  soon  a 
great  crowd  assembled,  to  whom  I  preached  once  more 
the  words  of  eternal  life.  They  had  not  seen  me  for 
several  years,  yet  they,  and  the  country  round,  well 
remembered  the  great  revival  which  took  place  wheo 
brother  Graham  and  I  last  visited  them.  We  now  again 
had  a  season  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of  the 
I>ord."  It  must  have  been  peculiarly  delightful  to  the 
persecuted  men  of  God,  to  have  found  such  a  retreat 
in  Mr.  Mathewson's  after  their  narrow  escape  from  the 
savages  who  sought  their  lives.  "  The  village  where 
this  attack  was  made  upon  us,"  remarks  Mr.  Ouseley, 
"  is  not  far  from  the  place  where  Mr.  Condy  of  old  had 
a  contest  with  a  priest,  and  was  near  losing  his  life." 

One  instance  or  more  of  a  similar  kind  will  at  once 
sliow  the  virulence  of  the  persecutors  against  the  mes- 
sengers of  Christ,  and  the  watchful  providence  of  God 
in  favor  of  his  servants.  In  a  tour  in  the  south  of  Ire- 
land, Mr.  Ouseley  resolved  to  preach  in  the  streets  on 
the  Monday,  it  being  the  fair  day ;  but  while  he  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  257 

his  companion  were  in  their  room,  imploring  the  di- 
vine presence  and  aid,  the  gentleman  in  whose  house 
they  stopped  waited  upon  them  with  tears  in  his  eyes, 
hcgging  that  they  would  not  make  the  attempt,  as  the 
mob  were  just  preparing  to  attack  them.  However, 
Mr.  Ouseley  would  not  be  dissuaded  from  his  purpose, 
"  for,"  says  Mr.  Xoble,  "  he  was  one  of  the  most  coura- 
geous of  men."  The  missionaries  took  their  stand, 
next  door  to  the  bai-rack,  thinking  that  in  case  of  dan- 
ger they  would  have  the  protection  of  the  military. 
The  service,  as  usual,  was  commenced  by  giving  out  a 
hymn,  but  immediately  the  stones  began  to  fly  in  every 
direction.  Mr.  Noble  attempted  to  reason  with  them; 
asked  if  they  were  resolved  to  take  their  lives;  said 
that  they  were  strangers  that  had  come  to  tell  them  of 
Christ  Jesus,  who  had  suffered  and  died  to  save  them. 
But  he  might  as  well  have  reasoned  with  the  tide. 
After  they  had  received  many  blows  and  bruises,  the 
sergeant  kindly  received  them  into  the  barrack. 
"  Meantime,"  says  Mr.  Noble,  "  we  could  easily  see  the 
providence  of  God  in  our  going  to  the  street.  Mr. 
Ouseley,  who  could  never  be  idle,  began  to  preach  to 
the  soldiers,  twelve  of  whom  came  out  to  our  chapel 
that  night,  and  to  a  prayer  meeting  after  preaching; 
and  six  out  of  the  twelve  were  made  happy  in  God, 
and  became  steady  and  useful  members  of  society." 
So  the  designs  of  Satan  were  frustrated,  and  God  over- 
ruled evil  for  good. 

On  another  occasion,  while  Mr.  Ouseley  was  preach- 
ing to  a  vast  crowd  in  the  street  of  a  town  in  Con- 
7iaught,  and  many  of  the  people  hearing  with  deep 
atiention,  three  or  four  of  their  spiritual  guides  came 
into  the  congregation.    Their  presence  intimidated 


258  •      MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


many",  and  caused  them  to  run  away ;  while  others 
commenced  on  the  aged  servant  of  God,  when  he  re- 
ceived a  blow  ou  the  mouth  which  knocked  out  two  of 
his  teeth.  He  placed  the  teeth  on  his  hand,  and 
showed  them  to  the  crowd,  while  the  blood  flowed  from 
his  mouth.  "  The  sight,"  says  jNIr.  Noble,  "  was  truly 
affecting ;  and  if  he  had  been  killed  ou  the  spot,  I  be- 
lieve^ he  would  have  offered  up  that  prayer  with  his 
latest  breath, — '  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge.' " 

Whenever  Mr.  Ouseley  foimd  it  practicable  he  held 
field  meetings,  and  these  were  attended  with  abundant 
blessings.  On  Sunday,  the  30th,  he  and  Mr.  Koble 
held  a  field  meeting  about  two  miles  from  BalUntra, 
in  the  county  of  Donegal,  at  which  nearly  a  thousand 
persons  were  present.  Mr.  Ouseley  states — "  We  both 
preached  at  the  field  meeting,  commencing  at  three 
o'clock.  Divine  power  attended  the  word;  the  pre- 
sence of  the  Almighty  overshadowed  us;  and  the 
whole  congregation  seemed  under  conviction.  How 
lovely  a  sight,  to  see  such  a  multitude  on  their  knees 
on  the  grass,  and  the  floods  of  tears  streaming  down 
their  fiices,  before  the  Lord !  Some  retired  to  the 
Lord's  supper,  and  others  to  an  adjacent  house  to  pray. 
Many  were  set  at  liberty.  Surely  it  was  a  day  to  be 
remembered — a  day  of  the  Lord  !  We  then  went  off 
to  tin;  ^lanorliamilton  circuit,  and  a  most  blessed  visit- 
ation lioiu  God  had  they  among  them." 

On  jMonday  niorning  they  held  a  meeting  in  BalUn- 
tra, and  rode  off  to  Manorhamilton,  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles.  The  day  turned  out  exceedingly  w^et,  but,  as  a 
meeting  had  been  published  for  that  evening,  nothing 
could  induce  Mr.  Ouseley  to  rest  short  of  the  end  of 
liis  journey.    ■•  A  disappointment  to  an  expecting  con- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  259 


gregation,"  says  Mr.  Ouseley,  "is  to  me  an  evil  of 
such  magnitude,  that  I  would  prefer  running  a  great 
risk  rather  than  be  the  cause  of  it.  We  were  wet  to 
the  veiy  skin ;  poor  dear  Noble  now  and  then  cried 
out,  '  "\Miat  shall  we  do  ?  My  very  boots  are  full  of 
water ;  I  am  wet  all  over.'  My  dear  fellow,  said  I,  let 
us  imagine  that  we  are  in  the  water,  that  we  are  swim- 
ming through ;  let  us  push  on.  When  we  arrived  in 
Manorhamilton,  our  dear  friends,  Mr.  and  ^hs.  Gra- 
ham, instantly  got  dry  clothes  for  us,  for  we  had  to 
take  off'  everything.  The  people  Hocked  out  in  the 
evening,  which  was  fair,  and  the  gracious  Lord  our 
God  honored  us  with  a  season  of  delightful  refreshing 
from  on  high." 

Mr.  Ouseley  had  been  very  unwell  tbi-ough  incessant 
toil  before  he  left  the  county  of  Donegal ;  but  after  the 
severe  wetting  and  the  night's  labor,  he  was  quite  well 
the  next  morning,  and,  as  he  expressed  it,  "  through 
mercy  we  were  able  to  go  on  twenty-eight  miles  to 
our  next  appointment."  Thus  he,  without  any  cessa- 
tion, travels,  and  preaches  in  streets,  and  fields,  and 
houses.  We  next  find  him  in  Eniiiskillen,  he  and  his 
colleague  mounted  on  their  horses,  their  black  caps  on, 
calling  on  the  people  to  come  and  hear  the  word  of 
the  Lord.  "  Such  crowds  followed  us,"  says  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley, "as  that  the  market-place  was  comijletely  emp- 
tied. All  descriptions  of  persons  seemed  equally  in- 
ti  icsted.  We  both  spoke,  and  with  all  patience  did 
the  Romani.sts  as  well  as  the  others  hear.  God  was 
among  us,  blessed  be  his  name." 

A  field  meeting  had  been  appointed  some  distance 
from  Enuiskillen,  but  the  day  turning  out  wet,  they 
could  not  remain  in  the  field,  but  went  to  an  adjacent 


260        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

village.  No  two  houses  could  contain  the  crowds; 
therefore  the  men  in  the  congregation  proposed,  that 
if  the  missionaries  would  remain  outside,  they  would 
also;  and  the  females  got  into  a  pretty  large  house, 
while  the  missionaries  preached  a  sermon  each  to  all 
present.  "  The  dear  men,"  says  Mr.  Ouselcy,  "  stood 
outside  all  the  time  under  the  rain,  and  we  in  all  the 
wet,  without  refreshment  or  a  change  of  clothes.  We 
preached  again  in  town,  and,"  Mr.  Ouseley  adds,  "  the 
Lord  gave  us  souls  for  our  hire." 

He  next  proceeded  to  Dungaunon,  twenty-one 
miles.  He  says,  "  We  were  both  completely  jaded, 
from  our  unremitting  labors  and  riding;  and  when  we 
came  to  the  house  of  our  dear  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Heathers,  we  certainly  were  fitter  for  our  beds  than 
for  anything  else.  Poor  Noble  was  quite  done :  yet  it 
was  the  market-day.  The  magistrate  had  prevented 
brother  Bayley  from  preaching  in  the  street  a  little 
before.  This,  and  our  exhausted  state,  nught  have 
discouraged  us ;  but  I  resolved,  as  I  still  retained  a 
little  strength,  that  we  would  go  out,  and  that  I  would 
preach,  determined  that  I  would  rather  go  to  prison, 
if  God  permitted,  than  not  preach.  We  bowed  our 
knees  before  our  gracious  God,  went  out,  took  our 
stand,  and  met  no  interi-uption  whatever,  while  I  de- 
clared to  them  the  counsel  of  God.  Glory  to  him,  the 
hearts  of  all  men  are  in  his  hands." 

Mr.  Ouseley  then  permits  his  colleague  to  return 
homeward  to  recover  his  exhausted  strength,  while  he 
proceeds  in  his  usual  way ;  next  day  preaches  in  the 
streets  of  Aughnacloy,  and  then  goes  to  Monaghan, 
where  he  meets  brother  John  Armstrong,  who  for 
awhile  supplies  the  place  of  brother  Noble.  Mr.  Ouse- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OrSELET,  261 


lev  says,  "  I  met  John  Armstrong,  a  blessed,  zealous 
lad.  He  and  I  mounted  our  horses,  and  rode  through 
the  market ;  the  people  crowded  after  us,  and  though 
it  rained,  they  stayed  most  patiently ;  I  preached,  and 
he  exhorted.'' 

INIr.  Ouseley  had  often  lamented  the  apathy  of  the 
English  evangeUca!  churches  with  regard  to  Popery. 
On  the  17th  of  June  he  remarks:  "I  rode  in  the 

morning  about  two  miles  to  visit  the  Eev.  Air.  P  , 

a  friendly  clerg}-man  of  the  Established  Church.  He 
laments  much  the  growth  of  Popery,  and  told  me  with 
grief,  that  he  was  well  informed  the  Jesuits  in  England 
had  proselyted  ten  thousand  Protestants  in  the  last  year. 
I  should  not  wonder ;  for  as  I  lately  passed  through  that 
land,  I  perceived  a  great  supiueness  in  all  ranks  and 
denominations  with  regard  to  Popery,  as  if  it  were  an 
entirely  harmless  thing."  And  he  greatly  feared  that 
many  of  the  lower  orders  in  England  would  become 
an  easy  prey  to  its  wiles.  Alas!  that  the  warning 
voice  of  the  faithful  ministei's  of  truth  was  not  regard- 
ed! On  Sunday,  the  11th  of  July,  Mr.  Ouseley  says, 
"  Brother  Reilly  and  I  preached  in  the  open  air  in  this 
city  to  a  great  crowd  indeed.  I  met  a  man  who  ac- 
costed me  he  had  been  an  Irish  Roman  Catholic  in 
the  army.  He  fii"st  heard  me  in  Halifax,  in  York- 
shire ;  he  was  told  that  an  Irishman  was  to  preach ;  he 
came  to  hear  his  countryman,  and  the  Lord  awakened 
him  under  the  sermon,  and  he  is  now  a  consistent 
member  of  our  Dublin  society.  How  important  to  be 
instant  in  season,  out  of  season,  and  to  preach  publicly 
in  the  open  air  the  gospel  of  our  God  to  the  erring  sons 
and  daughters  of  men  !" 

We  have  thus  seen,  from  time  to  time,  not  only  a 


262        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


solitary  instance  of  genuine  conversion  from  the  errors 
of  Rome  to  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  and  from  sin  and 
guilt  to  holiness  of  heart  and  life,  but  considerable  num- 
bers, here  and  there,  who  became  joined  to  the  Lord 
in  one  body  with  the  people ;  and  some  cases  have  we 
witnessed,  where  the  converts  have  themselves  become 
gifted  and  successful  ministers  of  tlie  word  to  their 
countrymen.  This  is  cause  of  unfeigned  and  devout 
thanksgiving  to  the  true  Christian  patriot  who  looks 
forwai-d  with  pious  solicitude  for  the  regeneration  of 
his  country.  But  it  may  be  well  inquired.  Why  have 
not  more  general  and  permanent  effects  appeared  from 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by  Mr.  Ouseley  and  other 
godly  men  throughout  this  country  ?  It  has  been  al- 
ready stated,  that  the  great  obstruction  to  the  improve- 
ment of  our  native  land  is  the  false  system  prevailing 
here  under  the  hallowed  name  of  Christianity,  which, 
alas !  subverts  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  contains 
in  it  the  elements,  at  once,  of  corruption  and  tyranny. 
It  is  still  a  problem,  whicli  neither  statesmen  nor  philo- 
sophers have  solved,  how  the  greatest  and  freest  empire 
in  the  world  comprises  millions  under  the  foulest  bond- 
age, and  over  whom  is  exercised  an  irresponsible  con- 
trol, (irresponsible  to  the  state,)  which  forbids  freedom 
of  tliought  and  inquiry:  where  British  subjects  are 
destitute  of  mental  and  moral  freedom ;  where  the  tyrant 
is  allowed  to  brandish  his  scourge,  and  fix  his  manacles 
on  the  limbs  of  a  noble  and  naturally  generous  race. 
Why  does  not  the  British  senate  vindicate  and  establish 
tlie  sacred  rights  of  conscience  and  religion  on  behalf 
of  British  subjects?  Let  no  man  be  persecuted  for 
his  religion,  but  let  all  be  alike  protected  in  the  free 
exercise  of  that  on  which  their  reason  and  conscience. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  263 


decide.  If  such  freedom  as  is  the  inalienable  right  of 
Britons  and  of  men  were  allowed  us  in  this  part  of  the 
empire,  we  should  soon  see  Ireland  one  of  the  fairest 
portions  of  the  globe.  Some  striking  facts  have  been 
already  stated  which  indicate  the  spiritual  tyranny- 
existing  in  our  unhappy  country:  I  shall  introduce 
another  here,  though  in  reference  to  an  humbler  per- 
son, which  will  show  the  malignant  power  by  which 
the  destinies  of  our  country  are  governed,  and  which 
will  answer  the  inquiry  above  proposed, — "  Why  have 
not  more  general  and  permanent  effects  appeared  from 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel?"  Mr.  Ouseley  was 
preaching  in  the  house  of  a  gentleman,  in  the  county 
of  Louth,  when  a  young  woman,  a  Roman  Catholic, 
was,  with  others,  deeply  affected.  He  conversed  in 
his  usual  way  with  her  and  another,  and  the  word  of 
the  Lord  had  a  powerful  effect  on  her  mind,  and  she 
immediately  turned  from  lying  vanities  to  the  living 
God.  Mr.  Ouseley  states, — "  Respecting  this  interest- 
ing person,  she  sought  mercy  from  God  through  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  with  much  diUgence,  and  was 
soon  made  conscious  of  the  mighty  change  and  bless- 
ing of  justification.  Her  grief  and  hardness  of  heart 
fled  before  the  bright  beams  of  the  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness, and  she  became  very  happy  through  faith  in  the 
Redeemer.  She  at  once,  as  soon  as  she  was  convinced 
of  the  danger  of  following  human  dogmas,  and  before 
she  had  received  that  blessing  from  the  Loid,  resolved 
that  she  would  go  to  mass  no  more.  This  created  a 
great  alarm  among  the  superstitious ;  and  a  plan  was 
laid  to  snatch  her  away  from  heresy  and  her  heretical 
master.  Her  sister,  a  strong  girl,  and  a  Carmelite, 
called  on  her  early  in  a  morning,  saying  that  she 


264       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON'  OUSELET. 


■wanted  to  speak  to  her ;  she  objected  to  go  with  her, 
but  she  seized  her  to  force  her  off.  Her  master  heard 
the  bustle,  came  to  her  help,  and  extricated  her.  When 
it  was  found  that  evil  was  determined  her,  she  was  re- 
moved to  the  Protestant  clergyman's  until  she  read  her 
renunciation  of  Popery,  wliich  she,  with  another,  did 
in  the  parish  church  on  the  ensuing  sabbath.  When 
the  priest  found  that  the  sister  and  party  missed  their 
aim  in  getting  her  off,  he,  it  seems,  was  horribly  morti- 
fied, and  a  messenger  was  instantly  sent  for  her  father, 
who  hved  forty  miles  off.  The  poor  soul  came  to  see 
what  was  the  matter,  and  by  his  reverence's  advice,  he 
went  to  demand  his  daughter ;  but  in  vain ;  the  gentle- 
man would  not  give  up  his  servant ;  nor  did  the  father 
persist  much,  for  he  privately  owned  that  himself,  wife, 
and  son,  had  lately  read  their  recantation  in  the  county 
of  Cavan,  but  durst  not  let  it  be  known  here  lest  he 
should  be  murdered.  On  his  return  to  the  priest,  he 
told  him  her  master  would  not  lot  her  off  till  her  time 
would  be  up.  '  Go,'  said  the  zealous  divine,  '  get  a 
case  of  pistols  charged,  and  then  demand  your  daugh- 
ter, and  shoot  him  on  the  spot,  or  any  one  else,  who 
dare  detain  your  child.'  '  But  I  would  be  hanged  for 
murder ;  and  what  would  my  poor  wife  and  children 
do  without  me  ?'  said  the  poor  man.  '  AVell,  then,'  said 
the  priest,  angrily,  '  I  '11  tell  you  what  you  will  do :  she 
will  be  passing  to  church  on  Sunday  to  read  her  recan- 
tation, and  he  cursed  to  the  rar/abond  heresy;  seize  her 
then,  and  there  will  be  help  enough  at  hand  to  over- 
power the  police  themselves  if  they  interfere ;  so  there 
shall.'  The  man  replied,  '  Maybe  lives  would  be  lost, 
please  your  reverence,  and  what  would  I  do  then? 
She  is  of  age ;  and  if  it  be  her  will  to  do  so,  how  can  I 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELET.  265 


help  her  r  They,  however,  watched  for  the  hour  of 
her  passing  to  church,  and  the  place  was  full  of  people 
who  had  been  waiting  for  mass.  But  the  minister  acted 
wisely,  and  sent  her  so  early  that  they  missed  her,  and 
she  and  the  other  persons  conformed  in  peace.  The 
magistrate  also  signified  his  purpose  to  protect  her,  and 
punish  any  that  dare  molest  her  in  future ;  and  so  the 
matter  ended.  All  this  I  received  from  her  master, 
who  also  told  me  that  she  would  go  ten  miles  on  her 
feet  to  see  and  hear  me  again.  I  have  been  thus  cir- 
cumstantial in  this  case  to  show  you  the  watch  the 
priests  have  over  their  dupes,  and  the  vast  dangers  that 
lie  in  the  way,  and  the  difficulties  those  have  to  grapple 
with,  who  would  embrace  the  truth  when  they  know 
it,  where  the  population  around  them  are  influenced 
by  the  priests.  Many  such,  at  heai't,  feel  their  thraldom 
and  erroi-s  in  some  sense ;  but  they  fear  to  be  mur- 
dered, or  tJieir  cattle  destroyed,  or  their  houses  hurned, 
should  they  dare  avow  it.  May  almighty  God  open 
their  way !" 

Mr.  Noble,  in  stating  the  effects  he  had  witnessed 
by  means  of  street  preaching,  while  in  company  with 
Mr.  Ouseley,  expresses  himself  on  this  subject  in 
forcible  terms.  "  I  must  say,"  he  remarks,  "  that  it  is 
my  firm  conviction  that  hundreds,  if  not  thousands,  of 
the  poor  Irish  will  be  found  at  the  right  hand  of  God, 
in  the  morning  of  the  resurrection,  who  heard  the  gos- 
]iel  in  the  streets,  from  the  lips  of  the  venerable 
( )iisaley,  in  their  native  tongue  ;  but  who  had  not  the 
I  '11  rage  to  meet  the  per.-;ccution  they  would  have  had 
M  encounter  in  giving  up  their  fonuer  mode  of  wor- 
ship, and  joining  themselves  to  the  Wesloyan  society; 
tliough  many  of  them  did  break  through,  and  have 


266        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OTJSELET. 

continued  to  the  present  day ;  while  some,  to  my  own 
knowledge,  have  died  in  the  full  triumph  of  faith." 
There  were  some  who,  without  shrinking  from  the 
avowal  of  the  truth  in  the  hour  of  persecution,  took 
joyfully  the  spoiling  of  their  goods,  knowing  that  they 
had  in  heaven  a  better  and  an  enduring  substance. 
But  for  many  more  the  ordeal  was  too  severe  :  they 
could  not  sum  up  sufficient  resolution  to  bear  the 
"  trial  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourgings  "  which  they 
would  have  had  to  endure ;  so  that  either  they  mourn- 
ed in  secret  over  their  hapless  condition,  cherishing  a 
hope  of  future  deliverance,  or  mingled  again  with  those 
who  wandered  from  the  good  and  the  right  way. 
What  can  true  Christians  in  this  case  do  V  They  can 
keep  the  truth  before  the  world — the  pm-e,  unadulte- 
rated gospel ;  they  can  take  every  legitimate  means 
for  spreading  genuine  Christianity,  and  exhibiting  in 
their  own  life  and  conversation  evidences  of  its  saving 
power ;  and  by  the  subduing  charities  of  the  gosj^el 
soften  the  hostility  of  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 
They  can  offer  up  fervent,  constant  prayere  to  almighty 
God,  that  he  would  take  the  matter  into  his  own  hand, 
and  by  liis  unerring  providence  and  saving  grace  ef- 
fect that  change  in  our  country  for  which  we  must 
otherwise  in  vain  look  to  human  means.  O  God,  is 
anything  too  hard  for  thee !  Make  bare  thine  arm  in 
the  midst  of  the  nations ;  and  let  our  countrjnnen — 
our  interesting  countrymen — be  brought  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God  ! 

"  0  let  tlie  pris'ners'  mournful  cries, 
As  incense  in  thy  sight  appear ! 
Their  humble  wailings  pierce  the  skies  ; 
If  haply  they  may  feel  thee  near. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  267 

"  The  captive  exiles  make  their  moans, 
From  sin  impatient  to  be  free : 
CaJl  home,  call  home,  thy  banished  ones  I 
Lead  captive  their  captivity !" 

0  Lord,  hasten  the  time  when  the  morning  of  Chris- 
tian liberty  shall  dawn  upon  our  benighted  land  ! 

Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  Xn. 

Mr.  Ousetey  suffers  severely  from  exenioos  dunn«  a  snow  slorm— Richly  rewarded  by 
the  gracious  fruits— An  atheist  converted— Conversation  between  a  Roman  Catholic 
gentleman  and  a  priest — A  soldier  converted  on  the  bollle-field  of  Waterloo — Light 
of  the  gospel  spread  by  the  writings  and  preaching  of  Mr.  Ouseley— In  perils  among 
liis  countrymen- Laid  aside  for  a  short  time  by  a  cold,  caught  while  preaching  in  the 
•Ireel— Preaches  by  stiu^light— Describes  the  first  church  amon^  the  Gentiles- Retire* 

tnwel  with  him— Mr.  Feely's  character  of  ■  Preaches  from  thirteen  to  fifleeo 

times  a  vecM — Violent  conduct  of  a  priest — Several  turn  from  mass — Novel  argumeot 
against  the  real  presence— Priest  M'Gouran— Mr.  Ouseley  returns  to  Dublin  ill,  after 
a  lour  of  sixty-six  days— Street  sermon  in  Ballina— Great  success  in  everyplace — 
logenioua  and  convincing  argument  from  the  Rhemish  version— Conversation  with  a 
priest — Prospects  of  new  openings — Laments  over  the  sLite  of  Ireland — Argument* 
with  a  casuist— Receives  a  severe  blow  in  Monaghan,  while  preaching  in  the  street- 
Cause  of  the  miseries  of  Ireland—Intolerance  of  a  priest  in  Kilrush — Discussion  in 
Corrick-on-Shannon— Invited  to  Easky  discussion— Its  amicable  termination  in  favor 
oftnilh — Mode  of  preaching  varied— Arguments  for  a  general  mission  to  the  litth, 
-LDd  his  peculiar  call  to  that  work. 

My  Dear  Fuiexd, — During  the  year  from  July,  1819, 
to  1820,  the  same  course  was  pursued  by  jMr.  Ouseley, 
with  undeviating  fidelity,  although  sometimes  feeling 
the  effects  of  such  ceaseless  exertions.  In  the  winter 
he  endured  great  hardship,  traveling  through  snow- 
storms ;  in  one  instance  the  snow  being  so  deep  that  he 
was  obliged  to  return  to  the  place  from  whence  he 
had  come.  These  efforts  in  such  a  season,  as  might  be 
naturally  expected,  brought  on  an  illness,  which  last- 
ed eight  or  ten  days ;  from  which,  however,  he  had 


268        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


scarcely  recovered  when  he  resumed  his  loved  employ- 
ment. In  his  letter  of  March  8th,  1820,  he  acknow- 
ledges that  he  ran  a  risk  in  leaving  home  before  he 
had  fully  recovered ;  but  such  are  the  gracious  fruits 
which  result  from  the  toil,  that  he  is  richly  rewarded. 
He  left  home  on  the  6th  of  February,  although  in  a 
state  of  bodily  weakness,  after  the  indisposition  above 
referred  to.  "  It  was  at  a  venture,"  says  this  self- 
denying  man,  "  that  I  left  home,  I  was  so  weak  ;  how- 
ever, I  resolved  to  go  as  far  as  I  could  ;  and  the  Lord 
has  fully  restored  me,  and  enabled  me  to  go  forward  in 
his  work."  From  the  latter  end  of  harvest  to  the 
beginning  of  spring,  he  rode  upward  of  fifteen  hundred 
miles ;  and  twenty-seven  hundred  from  the  conference 
until  that  period.  But  he  rejoiced  in  witnessing  a  very 
gracious  work  throughout  the  kingdom,  in  several  pai-ts, 
notwithstanding  all  the  obstacles  that  obtruded  them- 
selves. "  The  Lord  favored  us  with  seeing  many  souls 
awakened  to  a  sense  of  divine  things,  and  many  joined 
the  society.  As  I  preached  in  the  streets,  many  of  the 
Romanists  heard ;  though  at  times  some  of  them  show- 
ed a  disposition  to  annoy  us."  In  many  instances 
numbers  of  them  heard  in  the  chapels  too :  some  came 
five  miles  through  storm  and  rain  to  hear ;  and  some 
became  united  to  the  society.  Wien  Mr.  Ouseley 
traveled  through  the  south,  I  lay  in  a  dangerous  fever, 
and  my  dear  brother  Noble  came  for  some  weeks  to 
take  my  place.  Mr.  Ouseley  continued  in  the  work 
alone,  and  sometimes  preaching  three  or  four  times  a 
day  in  the  street,  as  well  as  in  houses ;  and  it  was  often 
his  custom  to  pi-each  in  the  winter  season  two  hours 
before  day.  In  one  place  he  says :  "  Our  congrega- 
tions were  principally  Romanists :  they  refused  to  be 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEOX  OUSELEV.  269 


hindered  by  the  priest  One  young  man,  in  the  county 
of  Kerrj-,  who  had  been  a  Romanist,  and  became  an 
atheist,  was  providentially  led  to  hear  Mr.  Ouseley, 
and  became  deeply  con\nneed  of  his  sin  and  eiTor,  fell 
down  on  his  face,  cried  aloud  for  mercy,  and  was 
directed  to  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin 
of  the  world.  During  his  tour  through  the  county  of 
Kerrj-,  verj-  gracious  effects  followed  the  preaching 
of  the  word.  In  Tralee,  one  Roman  Catholic  girl, 
des<.'ribing  the  state  of  the  congregation  during  a  meet- 
ing that  Mr.  Ouseley  held  before  day.  said  to  her  mis- 
tress, "  0,  ma'am,  they  were  weeping  all  around  me; 
and  I  cried  and  wept  a  gieat  deal  myself.  God  for- 
give me  I'' 

Mr.  Ouseley  relates  a  remarkable  conversation  which 
took  place  between  an  educated  Roman  Catholic  gen- 
tleman and  his  priest : — •■  AVe  breakfasted  with  a  Ro- 
man Catholic  gentleman,  who  had  been  hearing  us, 
and  kindly  invited  us.  Ho  appears  to  be  under  gra- 
cious awakenings.  He  told  us  of  several  conversations 
which  he  had  with  the  priest  lately,  who  told  him  he 
had  no  objection  that  he  should  read  the  Bible,  as  he 
was  a  man  of  learning.  •  ^Tiy,'  said  this  gentleman  to 
the  holy  father,  •  do  you  keep  tlie  cup  from  the  laity 
in  the  sacrament  ?'  The  priest  replied,  '  Don't  you 
know  ye  are  very  numerous,  and  very  poor ;  the  ex- 
pense of  wine  would  be  very  heavy.'  'But,'  he 
rejoined,  '  do  you  not  make  them  pay  for  baptism,  for 
I  onfe-<sion,  for  masses,  and  for  extreme  unction,  &c., 
rich  and  poor  together  ?'  '  Yes,  certtiinly  wo  do,'  said 
the  priest  '  Why  then,'  he  said,  •  do  you  not  make 
them  pay  for  the  wine  also,  as  it  is  a  part  of  the  sacra- 
ment  enjoined  by  our  Lord  ?'  '  Really,  sir,'  said 


270        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtJSELEY. 


he,  blushing,  'this  is  certainly  an  error  in  our 
church.' " 

On  Mr.  Ouseley's  return  to  Dublin  at  this  time,  after 
eight  weeks'  absence,  the  Rev.  Matthew  Tobias  related 
to  him  a  very  encouraging  circumstance  of  the  efi'ect 
produced  by  a  sermon  preached  by  him  in  the  street, 
many  years  ago.  A  soldier  stood  up  in  the  love-feast 
some  time  since,  and  stated  that  he  had  heard  Mr. 
Ouseley  preach  in  the  streets  of  Ballyshannon,  about 
eighteen  years  before,  and  that  he  was  brought  under 
deep  emotion  on  the  occasion,  which  he  endeavored 
to  put  away  from  time  to  time,  but  it  would  again  and 
again  return  to  his  mind ;  when  on  the  field  of  Water- 
loo, in  the  midst  of  the  battle  which  decided  the  des- 
tinies of  Europe,  multitudes  falling  around  him  on 
every  hand,  some  particular  expressions  of  the  ser- 
mon came  again  with  great  force  to  his  mind ; 
and  then,  and  there,  in  the  heat  of  action,  he  sun-en- 
dered  himself  to  God,  found  mercy  after  all  his  per- 
verseness  and  folly,  and,  at  the  time  he  related  his  sin- 
gular narrative,  he  was  walking  steadily  in  the  ways 
of  the  Lord.  "  I  hope,"  says  Mr.  Ouseley,  "  that  this  is 
and  will  be  the  case  with  multitudes  in  this  land  of 
darkness  and  superstition,  where  a  combination  of 
hinderances  deters  them  from  an  inmiediate  and  open 
avowal  of  what  they  believe." 

Mr.  Ouseley  was  encouraged  almost  daily  by  seeing 
the  light  of  the  gospel  difiused,  by  means  of  both 
his  writings  and  public  ministry.  lie  mentions  two 
cases  in  which  the  powev  of  truth  prevailed  over  error, 
even  in  the  midst  of  persecution.  One  of  these  was  a 
young  nyin  who  had  read  his  tract  in  answer  to  father 
Thayer,  in  consequence  of  which  he  read  his  Bible 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OCSELEY.  271 


also,  which  created  serious  alarm  in  his  father's  mind, 
who,  when  he  could  not  prevail  on  him  to  go  to  mass, 
forced  him  to  where  priests  were  holding  confessions, 
hoping  thereby  to  reclaim  him  from  his  heresy.  The 
priests  reviled  the  lad,  and  desired  his  father  •'  to  lie 
and  beat  him,  for  a  villain."  The  youth  replied,  "  K 
such  be  the  only  arguments  you  can  use,  they  can 
never  convert  me."  And  he  nobly  chose  to  live  as  a 
servant  with  a  Methodist  family,  where  he  enjoyed  the 
advantages  of  Christian  society  and  instruction,  rather 
than  live  in  comfort  at  home,  deprived  of  these  bless- 
ings. The  other  case  was  that  of  an  intelligent  school- 
master, who  read  some  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  tracts,  intend- 
ing to  answer  them.  Though  indignant  at  first,  he 
became  convinced,  abandoned  his  errors,  and  joined 
the  Methodist  society. 

During  part  of  this  year  Mi-.  Ouseley  had  to  go 
through  perils  among  his  own  countrymen  ;  as  what  he 
calls  a  '•  dreadful  insurrection "  prevailed  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Connaught :  yet  he  not  only  passed  unhurt,  but, 
as  it  had  been  in  former  years  throughout  this  country, 
a  great  and  blessed  work  of  God  broke  out  among 
the  people  in  the  counties  of  Sbgo  and  Mayo; 
many  of  the  Roman  Catholics  who  had  heard  him 
twelve  yeai-s  before  flocked  with  eagerness  to  hear  him 
now,  and  some  of  them  became  united  to  the  society. 
Notwithstanding  his  mental  energy  and  physical 
strength,  he  sometimes  complains  of  the  efl'ects  pro- 
duced on  his  system  by  street  preaching.  He  ex- 
presses himself  on  this  subject  thus : — '•  On  our  last 
tour  I  preached  a  good  deal  in  the  streets,  to  multi- 
tudes. It  is  true,  it  is  rather  a  severe  service,  for  after 
preaching  I  feel  for  awhile  lassitude,  and  as  if  my  ribs 


272        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OXJSELET. 


had  been  beaten ;  but  it  is  a  glorious  work,  is  delightful 
on  reflection,  and  always  leaves  a  good  conscience. 
When  I  arrived  in  Dundalk,  I  felt  so  poorly,  that  I 
feared  going  to  the  streets,  and  yet  I  wished  to  go. 
I  went,  however,  and  had  a  patient  hearing,  and  a 
blessed  tinie  ;  our  house  was  filled  at  night ;  nor  did  I 
feel  the  worse." 

A  little  after  this,  he  states,  that  in  a  tour  through  a 
part  of  Ulster  and  Connaught,  which  lasted  fifty-two 
days,  he  had  traveled  eight  hundred  miles.  After  an 
excursion  of  thirty-three  miles,  during  this  period,  he 
reached  the  town  of  Ballyjamesduff.  It  was  in  the 
month  of  March.  He  arrived  a  little  before  sunset, 
and,  the  evening  being  very  fine,  he  stood  up  in  the 
street,  and  commenced  preaching.  Soon,  almost  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  village  surrounded  him ;  he  con- 
tinued his  discourse  by  star-light ;  and  many  of  the 
Romanists,  taking  advantage  of  the  shades  of  evening, 
came  to  hear,  and  hstened  with  devout  attention.  He 
then  published  preaching  for  the  chapel,  when  many 
of  the  poor  Roman  Catholics  requested  to  be  admitted; 
and  while  they  heard  a  second  sermon  in  the  house 
the  Lord  was  present,  as  in  a  former  case,  to  apply  his 
word.  Mr.  Ouseley  remarks,  "  It  was  a  most  delight- 
ful and  solemn  season.  Surely  the  '  Master  of  as- 
semblies'  was  there  to  melt  down  obdurate  hearts, 
evident  by  the  copious  streams  of  tears  which  silently 
flowed." 

Very  shortly  after  this,  however,  he  caught  cold  by 
preaching  to  a  large  congregation  in  the  market  of 
Lurgan,  and  a  violent  pain  in  the  ball  of  his  right  eye 
was  the  consequence,  which  in  a  few  days  became  so 
alarming  as  to  oblige  him  to  come  to  a  pause,  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  273 

take  to  his  bed  in  Aughnacloy ;  but  not  having  such 
medionl  aid  there  as  was  judged  sufficient,  he  struggled 
as  far  as  Monaghan,  and  there  was  confined  to  his 
bed  again,  and  had  to  undergo  a  severe  course  of 
treatment — bleeding,  Uistering,  &c.,  for  several  suc- 
cessive days.  On  the  21st  of  June,  after  more  than 
tliree  weeks  of  painful  affliction,  he  says,  "  Last  Wed- 
nesday, the  evening  before  I  returned  to  Dublin,  I 
was  bled  again ;  I  had  to  come  by  the  coach  and  leave 
my  horse,  as  I  was  then  too  weak  to  ride.  I  am  now 
free  of  the  pain,  thank  God,  and  hope  I  shall  soon  be 
able,  through  di^nne  aid,  to  return  to  my  heavenly 
employment  once  more." 

His  account  of  his  sermon  in  Lurgan,  by  means  of 
which  he  caught  cold,  is  very  interesting,  and  shows 
that  his  was  indeed  a  "  heavenly  employment."  "  On 
the  25th  I  preached  to  a  great  multitude  in  the  mar- 
ket of  Lurgan,  who,  Romanists  and  all,  were  as  if  they 
were  fastened  to  the  ground,  and  being  bathed  in  tears 
together,  sobbed,  and  cried,  and  prayed,  as  of  one 
heart  and  soul." 

He  did  not,  however,  get  over  the  effects  of  his 
affliction  so  readily  as  he  had  hoped.  In  consequence 
of  it,  he  was  obliged  to  retire  to  a  watering  place,  for 
a  few  weeks,  to  trj'  sea-bathing  as  a  restorative  from 
Ills  late  illness.  Dunleary  (since  called  Kingstown) 
was  the  place  chosen  for  his  temporary  retreat :  but, 
when  a  little  rest  might  have  been  supposed  excusable, 
he  could  not  be  satisfied  without  doing  something  for 
liis  divine  Master.  Here  he  preached  four  times  a 
week — witnessed  some  signal  instances  of  conversion — 
and,  when  about  to  resume  his  general  labor,  left  a 
little  class,  consisting  of  fourteen  membei's,  under  the 
18 


274        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


care  of  the  Dublin  superintendent.  As  soon  as  he 
was  restored  to  sufficient  health  for  the  work,  he  com- 
menced his  labor  in  the  street  of  Trim,  where  he  had 
preached  fourteen  years  before.  When  he  addressed 
the  people  in  Irish  they  appeared  electrified ;  and  two 
priests  listened  for  some  time,  and  gave  no  annoyance. 
On  Monday  evening  he  preached  again,  in  the  Trim 
court-house,  when  many  Romanists,  and  almost  all  the 
Protestants,  flocked  to  the  place,  and  manifested  great 
attention  and  satisfaction,  while  he  brought  before  them 
the  character  of  the  first  church  among  the  Gentiles, 
(Acts  X,)  which  was  planted  by  St.  Peter,  and  which 
ought,  he  affirmed,  to  be  the  model  of  all  Christian 
churches  to  the  end  of  time.  He  labored  on  through 
the  year,  and  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  many 
sinners  awakened,  and  brought  to  a  knowledge  of  the 
Saviour.  "  Light,"  he  says,  "  is  going  forth  by  various 
means — schools.  Bibles,  preaching,  &c. ;  and  I  do  think 
moral  darkness  is  daily  decreasing.  Thank  God,  there 
is  a  good  work  going  on  in  several  parts,  in  spite  of  every 
opposition,  which  is  peculiar  to  our  bigoted  and 
benighted  land." 

Mr.  Ouseley  toiled  in  the  way  we  have  seen  for  one 
year  without  a  colleague  to  support  him  in  his  arduous 
work,  as  a  general  missionary ;  but  for  the  two  succeed- 
ing years  there  was  appointed  as  his  companion  Mr. 
John  Feely,  a  young  man  who  had  been  converted  by 
the  means  of  the  Irish  missionaries  from  the  Romish 
creed,  in  which  he  had  been  educated.  Mr.  Ouseley 
speaks  of  him  in  terms  of  high  respect  and  affection. 
"  Brother  Feely,"  he  remarks,  "  is  quite  in  his  element 
when  he  stands  or  rides  in  the  streets  to  address  his 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET,  275 


countrymen  in  their  own  tongue,  which  he  speaks  with 
great  facility.  And  as  they  learn  he  has  been  of  their 
own  church,  they  are  the  more  eager  to  hear  him." 
And  Mr.  Feely's  views  of  his  revered  superintendent 
will  confirm  those  descriptions  already  given  of  him. 
In  a  letter  of  Mr.  Feely,  which  lies  before  mc,  he 
says,  "  I  met  Mr.  Ouseley  a  few  times  before  I  was 
appointed  to  labor  under  his  superintendence,  and  ad- 
mired his  great  zeal,  and  his  style  in  addressing  the 
people,  and  his  evident  concern  for  the  salvation  of 
souls.  Upon  my  appointment  with  him,  I  confess  to 
you,  I  purposed  having  on  this  extraordinary  man  an 
eye  of  observation.  I  found  him  a  man  of  deep  de- 
votedness  to  God,  and,  if  possible,  of  still  greater  mis- 
sionary zeal.  As  a  minister  of  Christ  he  was  indeed 
instant  in  season  and  out  of  season,  endeavoring  at  all 
times,  and  by  all  Christian  means,  to  lead  sinners  to 
the  one  all-sufBcient  Saviour.  I  need  not  tell  you  that 
he  constantly  published  the  message  of  mercy  in  the 
open  air ;  and  often  did  he  encounter  things  of  an  un- 
pleasant nature  while  in  this  work  ;  but  his  intense  de- 
sire to  pluck  sinners  as  brands  from  the  burning  bore 
him  onward  in  his  arduous  course.  And  often  where 
he  might  with  apparent  propriety  rest  himself,  and  en- 
joy the  society  of  his  friends,  he  was  seen  in  the  streets 
and  places  of  public  resort,  warning  men  to  flee  from 
the  wrath  to  come,  and  directing  them  to  '  behold  the 
Lamb  of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.' 
And  0  !  how  did  he  labor  in  prayer,  both  before  and 
after  these  exercises,  that  God  would  grant  his  bless- 
ing to  accompany  his  word !  Often  have  I  heard  him 
weep,  and  agonize,  and  westle  with  God  in  mighty 


276       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

prayer,  especially  on  those  occasions,  so  as  to  produce 
on  my  own  mind  the  most  humbUng  effect. 

"  I  sometimes  accompanied  him  when,  coming  into  a 
town,  lie  stood  on  the  most  convenient  spot  he  could 
select,  and  commenced  fortliwith  to  sing  a  h}-mn  in 
English  and  Irish.  For  a  few  minutes  we  had  hardly 
any  audience  ;  yet  in  a  short  time  a  goodly  company, 
of  various  denominations,  might  be  seen  attentively 
listening  to  the  words  of  eternal  life.  Those  services 
were  sometimes  partially  interrupted  by  a  few  of  the 
lowest  of  the  people  offering  observations  and  com- 
ments, frequently  of  the  most  absurd  and  ludicrous 
description;  and  again  expressing  their  hatred  and 
malice  to  the  man  who  was  so  determined  on  doing 
them  the  greatest  good,  but,  as  they  imagined,  the 
greatest  possible  injury. 

"  On  one  of  those  occasions  a  multitude  of  persons 
came  together,  and  after  addressing  them  in  the  most 
affectionate  and  impressive  manner,  showing  that  the 
provision  of  mercy  in  the  gospel  of  Christ  was  no  sec- 
tarian thing,  but  free  for  all — that  English,  Irish,  and 
Scotch,  as  well  as  all  other  nations  of  men,  were  equally 
welcome  to  Christ,  who  died  for  them  all — he  invited 
them  to  hear  me  in  the  Wesleyan  chapel.  Among 
this  assemblage  were  some  Roman  Catholics,  one  of 
whom  was  led,  through  that  day's  ministration,  to  com- 
mence religious  inquiry,  the  result  of  which  was  his 
conversion  from  error,  and,  I  trust,  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God. 

"  You  are  aware  that  young  men  laboring  with  Mr. 
Ouseley  were  placed  in  a  bad  school  for  learning  self- 
indulgence.  I  recollect  accompanying  him  some  dis- 
tance to  a  fair,  where  we  both  preached,  and  afterward 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  277 


rode  twenty  miles,  without  the  least  refreshment,  to 
fill  other  appointments.*  I  know  it  is  not  in  my  power 
to  describe  jNIr.  Ouseley  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel ; 
but  you  will  permit  a  word  or  two :  would  we  had  many 
such  teachers  as  he !  I  often  thought  I  hardly  ever 
heard  any  one  else  who  so  clearh-  expounded  the  moral 
law,  in  its  spirituaHty,  extent,  and  requirements ;  and 
■who  more  convincingly  described  the  evils  of  the  heart, 
'  issuing,'  as  he  used  to  say,  '  in  the  thirteen  streams  of 
corruption  from  that  impure  fountain ;'  or  who  would 
show  the  sinner  more  distinctly  his  guilt,  and  ruin,  and 
helplessness.  And  this  work  being  done,  as  no  man 
felt  more  the  value  of  the  atonement,  so  no  minister 
preached  it  more  faithfully  than  he.  In  the  redeem- 
ing work  of  the  Lord  Jesus  he  saw  the  meritorious 
cause  of  human  salvation ;  and  through  that  work  he 
pressed  on  the  acceptance  of  his  hearers  a  present  par- 
don, peace  with  God,  freedom  from  the  dominion  of 
sin,  the  entire  sanctification  of  the  soul,  and,  finally, 
eternal  feUcity  in  the  heaven  of  heavens.  Sin  he  de- 
scribed as  the  seed  of  damnation  in  the  soul,  which 
must  be  extracted  by  the  application  of  the  blood  of 
Christ  to  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  faith, 
or  else  the  soul  is  lost  eternally.  He  certainly  was  a 
great  enemy  to  Popery ;  but  not  an  enemy  to  its  un- 
happy subjects.  Them  he  greatly  pitied,  particularly 
the  uneducated  peasantry ;  but  the  priests  he  considei^ 
ed  awfully  instrumental  in  the  delusion  and  ruin  of 
human  souls.    He  knew  the  system  well ;  and  oftea 

♦  The  fact  here  related  by  Mr.  Feely  was  Mr.  Ousele) 's  usual  habit. 
In  traveling  long  journeys,  and  frequently  preaching  in  the  course  of 
the  day,  although  more  than  once  feeding  our  horses,  I  don't  recol- 
lect a  single  instance  in  which  we  took  any  refreshment,  unless  we 
happened  to  call  at  the  house  of  a  friend. 


278        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


taught  the  people  by  showing  them  how  truth  and  error 
conflicted  in  their  own  books  and  catechisms.  He 
knew  that  the  errors  of  the  Church  of  Rome  were 
fearfully  calculated  to  neutralize  the  effects  of  truth — 
even  of  such  portions  of  truth  as  were  retained  in  its 
ovm  system ;  and  he  would  demolish  all  refuges  of  lies, 
that  he  might  lead  the  people  to  Him  that  hath  said,  '  I 
am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life  :  no  man  cometh 
to  the  Father  but  by  me.'  " 

Such  is  the  description  given  by  Mr.  Feely,  in  a 
letter  to  me,  of  the  character  and  labors  of  the  vene- 
rable subject  of  this  Memorial.  There  were  no  men 
in  the  Irish  connection  who  had  such  opportunities  of 
knowing  and  judging  of  IMr.  Ouseley  as  Messrs.  Noble 
and  Feely,  and  myself,  we  having  been  successively  his 
companions  in  travel  during  one-third  the  period  of 
his  ministerial  Ufe.  I  therefore  regard  the  above  de- 
scription as  a  most  valuable  record,  given,  as  it  is,  by 
a  man  of  such  judgment  and  discrimination  as  Mr. 
Feely. 

Mr.  Ouseley  and  his  companion  took  tour  after  tour, 
and  incessantly  engaged  in  the  most  toilsome  and  ex- 
hausting exertions.  Generally  Mr.  O.  preached  from 
thirteen  to  fifteen  times  a  week ;  and  even  through  the 
severity  of  winter  his  labors  were  uninterrupted,  and 
yet  his  health  continued  unimpaired.  "  Brother  Fee- 
ly," says  Mr.  0.,  "  preaches  nearly  as  much.  On  one 
of  these  tours,  I  remarked  that  for  nine  days  success- 
ively I  have  preached  in  the  open  air,  besides  twice  a 
day  generally  in  chapels :  so  that  we  have  preached 
to  vast  multitudes." 

In  one  place,  at  this  time,  a  schoolmaster,  who  had 
been  a  determined  bigot,  through  the  violent  conduct 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  279 


of  his  own  priest  became  suspicious.  The  priest  knock- 
ed down  a  man  in  the  chapel,  and  kicked  him  while 
down.  This  so  shocked  this  intelligent  man,  that  he 
abandoned  at  once  the  service  and  communion  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  He  obtained  a  copy  of  the  Rhem- 
ish  Testament,  and  compared  it  with  the  authorized 
version,  which  he  had  been  taught  to  esteem  as  a 
wretched,  diabolical  fabrication  of  Luther  and  Calvin  ; 
and  on  finding  the  difference  very  inconsiderable,  he 
preferred  the  Protestant  version,  as  being  more  elegant 
and  correct.  He  found  also  that  the  religion  he  had 
believed  differed  from  even  the  Rhemish  Testament ; 
aud,  quite  alarmed,  waited  on  the  priest,  and  told  him 
he  was  very  uneasy.  "  I  fear  there  are  errors  in  our 
religion,"  said  he ;  "  for  it  does  not  agree  with  our 
Testament,  which  you  know,  sir,  is  the  word  of  God." 
The  holy  father  replied,  "  What  errors  ?  K I  hear  any- 
more such  language,  I  '11  give  you  the  whip :  so  I  will." 
"  If  you  do,  sir,"  said  the  other,  "  I  will  give  you  the 
law.  I  will  surely  indict  you,  if  you  strike  me."  After 
this  he  went  and  joined  the  Methodist  society. 

Another  schoolmaster  in  the  same  vicinity  read  Mr. 
Ouseley's  "  Old  Christianity,"  and  deemed  it  unanswer- 
able ;  and  declared  it  was  calculated  to  convert  more 
Roman  Catholics  tlian  all  the  other  books  he  had  ever 
seen.  He  soon  renounced  the  mass,  as  did  also  one 
of  his  neighbors  to  whom  he  stated  his  scruples. 

Just  at  this  time,  a  young  gentleman,  who  had  been 
educated  in  Maynooth  College,  conceived  himself  com- 
petent to  defend  his  doctrine,  and  had  frequently  as- 
sailed Protestant  gentlemen  on  the  subject  of  their 
religion.  He  wished  to  have  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Ouseley,  aud  was  invited  to  dine  in  company  with  him. 


280         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtJSELET. 

After  dinner  lie  introduced  his  favorite  theme.  They 
conversed  very  freely  and  cordially  for  some  hours  on 
the  various  dogmas  of  his  system,  to  the  great  satis- 
faction of  one  of  the  gentlemen  he  had  so  often  attack- 
ed. .  After  he  found  he  could  not  defend  the  pope's 
supremacy,  he  turned  to  the  famous  topic  of  tran.><nb- 
stantiatiou.  He  said  that  our  Lord  had  turned  the 
sacramental  bread  into  his  own  body,  &c.  Mr.  O.  asked 
him,  "  Did  not  our  blessed  Lord  eat  of  that  bread,  and 
drink  of  that  cup,  after  the  consecration?"  He  an- 
swered, "  Yes."  "  And  do  you  think,"  said  Mr.  O., 
"  that  he  ate  himself  ?"  The  young  disputant  replied, 
"  I  believe  he  did."  "  Then,"  retorted  Mr.  O.,  "  his 
own  head  was  in  his  own  mouth,  as  were  his  feet  and 
his  whole  body.  And  so  a  part  is  greater  than  the 
whole,  &c.  And  yet  his  feet  were  on  the  ground !  I" 
The  gentlemen  present  laughed  immoderately  at  such 
an  absurd  notion.  The  young  man  was  quite  con- 
founded, and  virtually  relinquished  the  doctrine,  by 
saying  he  did  not  beUeve  that  the  human  body  of 
Chi-ist  was  in  the  bread ;  but  that  some  virtue  assigned 
it  by  our  Lord  made  it  equivalent  to  his  body,  &c.  He 
took  with  him  a  copy  of  "  Old  Christianity,"  and  there 
were  favorable  accounts  heard  from  him  afterward. 

Mr.  Ouseley's  method  of  treating  the  doctrine  of 
transubstantialion  was  as  varied  as  it  was  ingenious. 
Preaching  in  Irish,  in  the  market  of  Arva,  about  this 
time,  to  a  great  multitude  of  Roman  Catholics,  he  took 
for  his  text,  Heb.  x,  5.  When  he  came  to  that  part, 
"  but  a  body  hast  thou  prepared  me,"  he  collated  it 
with  Matt,  i,  20,  and  Luke  i,  35.  He  called  the  atten- 
tion of  his  numerous  hearers  particularly  to  this  part,  by 
which  they  might  readily  perceive  that  as  neither  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  281 


Father  nor  the  Holy  Ghost  became  incarnate  ;  but  the 
second  person,  the  Logos  or  Son,  only:  so  neither  the 
Father  nor  the  Son  created  the  humanity,  or  natural 
body,  of  Christ ;  but  the  Holy  Ghost  only.  Therefore 
as  eveiy  priest  is  on  his  oath  to  believe  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  tinith,  so  he  is  sworn  to  believe  this  part,  that 
Christ  never  created  his  own  natural  body;  and  if 
not,  then  that  which  he  called  liis  "  body,"  at  the  last 
supper,  as  it  coidd  not  be  his  human  body,  so  it 
could  be  no  more  than  his  figurative,  commemorative 
bod}%  as  Protestants  say  of  it.  And  if  Christ  did  not 
make  his  own  natural  body  at  any  time,  then  to  give 
power  to  any  man  to  do  so,  is  totally  inadmissible: 
and  therefore  the  priest's  oath,  that  he  can  make  the 
natural  body  of  Christ  of  bi-ead,  is  "not  only  absurd  in 
the  extreme,  but  stands  in  direct  opposition  to  his 
other  oath,  that  the  gospel  is  true.  Then  if  the  body 
of  Christ  was  not,  is  not,  made  of  bread  ;  and  if  to  give 
divine  worship  to  what  is  not,  cannot  be,  Christ,  is 
damnable  idolatry  ;  then  to  give  the  host  or  wafer 
divine  worship  is  of  course  most  fi-ightful.  The  atten- 
•tion  of  the  crowd  was  deep  and  devout  while  he  thus 
i-easoned  with  theni :  and  when  he  pointed  them  to 
Christ  alone  for  salvation,  the  tears  flowed  copiously 
down  their  foces;  and  when  he  prayed,  it  was  most 
delightful  to  behold  with  what  unaftecting  sincerity, 
with  what  sighs  and  groans,  they  joined  in  the  worship 
of  God.  He  then  added :  •■  Alas,  my  dear  people  !  all 
you  get  for  the  gospel  of  which  you  are  deprived,  is  a 
stamp  of  the  foot,  a  lordly  look,  or  a  crack  of  the  whip, 
if  you  dare  inquire  for  yourselves."  They  shook  their 
heads  significantly,  by  way  of  assent. 

The  very  next  sabbath  afler  this  extraordinary  ad- 


282       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


dress,  the  priest,  the  Rev.  Mr.  M'Gouran,  came  up  to 
a  young  man  in  his  chapel,  whom  he  had  married  a 
few  days  before,  (he  had  got  a  pound  note  for  so  doing,) 
and  called  him  a  great  rascal ;  and  instantly  stnick 
hliU  with  his  fist,  and  either  knocked  him  down  6r 
staggered  him.  When  the  poor  young  man  recovered 
himself,  and  got  his  hat,  he  said  to  his  reverence, 
"  AVhat  have  I  done  ?"  "  You  villain,"  said  the  priest, 
"  why  did  you  not  tell  me  your  wife  was  related  to 
you  ?"  The  young  man  repHed,  "  And  what  do  you 
want  me  to  do  ?"  "  Why,  to  buy  the  affinity  from  the 
bishop."  "  Does  your  reverence,"  he  rejilied,  "  want 
me  to  give  money  to  the  bishop  too  ?"  "  Yes ;  by  all 
means."  "  Then,  sir,"  said  the  injured  man,  "  if  one 
farthing  would  gratify  him  and  you,  I  would  not  give 
it ;  and  had  I  my  pound  note  again,  you  never  should 
handle  it."  "  Ah,"  said  a  spectator,  "  it's  true  what  the 
preacher  says :  '  A  thump  and  a  crack  of  the  whip  is 
the  gospel  that  we  get.'    God  help  us !" 

Many  evidences  of  good  appeared  at  this  time 
through  the  kingdom,  both  from  the  circulation  of  his 
controversial  works,  and  from  his  public  labors.  One* 
instance  I  shall  here  insert.  When  in  Queen's  county, 
at  this  period,  two  young  men  of  classical,  information 
waited  on  Mr.  Ouseley,  for  the  purpose  of  conversing 
with  him  on  religious  subjects.  One  of  them  ha\'iug 
got  his  "  Old  Cliristianity  "  before  that,  had  taken  it  to 
his  priest,  and  asked  him,  "  Reverend  sir,  are  these 
quotations  true,  or  does  the  writer  caricature  our 
church  V"  The  priest  replied,  "  They  are  indeed  cor- 
rect." "  Then,  sir,  we  are  ruined."  "  Come,  come," 
said  the  priest,  "  we  must  answer  it.  You  are  a  good 
scholar  :  you  will  do  it."    "  Answer  it !"  rejoined  he  : 


UEilORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OCSELEY.  283 


"  answer  truth !  No,  sir,  never.  Good  day.  I  must  quit 
the  mass  for  ever."  He  fulfilled  his  threat,  and  be- 
came an  assistant  in  a  Protestant  school.  The  other 
young  man,  who  supposed  his  arguments  impregnable, 
after  some  conversation,  appeared  greatly  astonished, 
and  burst  into  tears,  confessing  he  never  saw  these 
matters  in  such  a  light  before. 

In  consequence  of  a  contusion  which  Mr.  Ouseley 
received  in  his  great  toe,  he  was  obhged  to  come  to 
Dublin  to  take  some  rest,  and  after  a  tour  of  sixty- six 
days  was  confined  for  several  weeks ;  but  during  the 
interval  he  employed  his  pen  in  the  defense  of  Pro- 
testantism. He  got  through  the  press  a  statement  of 
a  young  convert  who  had  been  educated  for  the  Romish 
priesthood,  and  recently  brought  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth ;  and  also  replied  to  some  pernicious  works 
then  in  very  general  circulation.  While  in  Dublin  he 
received  from  his  young  friend,  who  had  been  lately 
converted  from  the  errors  of  Rome,  and  whose  State- 
ment he  edited,  a  most  interesting  letter,  a  brief  ex- 
tract of  which  I  shall  here  give : — "  The  gospel  seed 
'sown  by  you,  and  nourished  by  our  mutual  friends,  is 
producing  daily  an  increase  of  peace,  and  tranquillity 
of  soul,  hitherto  unconceived  by  me.  There  is  a  great 
spirit  of  inquiry  here ;  we  long  to  see  you  again.  Come, 
in  short,  and  finish  the  work  begun.  Your  last  sermon 
in  Arva  [on  Heb.  x,  5]  has  made  a  great  stir  here. 
The  Roman  CathoUcs  say  you  spoke  the  truth ;  and, 
in  general,  they  tell  me  that  they  do  not  know  what  ' 
good  their  clergy  do  for  them.  They  now  think  pur- 
gatory a  church  fiction;  and  they  are  very  anxious  to 
see  my  objections.  May  they  be  profited  by  them,  I 
pray  the  Lord  Jesus.    May  the  Lord  continue  your 


284        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

usefulness  to  the  poor  Irish,  is  the  prayer  of  your  very 
sincere  and  truly  affectionate  child  in  the  Lord !"  In 
another  letter  he  says,  adverting  to  his  former  asso- 
ciates, "  They  all  are  forced  to  allow  I  had  just  reasons 
for.  separating  from  the  Church  of  Eome." 

Mr.  Ouseley  mentions  the  case  of  this  young  con- 
vert in  hopeful  terms,  in  a  letter  to  Joseph  Butter- 
worth,  Esq.;  and,  in  connection  with  it,  expresses 
himself  in  veiy  strong  language  relative  to  the  arro- 
gant spirit  of  Romanism.  "  I  never  remembered  Ire- 
land as  it  now  is :  Papists  cherished,  who  are  desolating 
the  country ;  and  Protestants,  who  should  be  cherish- 
ed, dispirited,  and  their  energies  sought  to  be  paralyzed. 
To  encourage  Popery,  is  to  disturb  the  nation;  for 
hopes  of  dominancy,  and  priestly  intrigue,  toU  make 
it  furious." 

Again,  in  the  beginning  of  June,  he  returns  to  Dub- 
lin, after  a  tour  of  sixty-five  days,  during  which  time 
he  preached,  for  the  most  part,  from  three,  to  four  times 
a  day.  But  he  was  seriously  attacked  by  illness  on  his 
arrival  in  Dublin,  which  was  no  doubt  occasioned  by 
his  exhausting  labors,  and  riding  thi'ough  a  tempest 
of  rain  and  storm,  by  which  his  horse  died.  "  I  got 
medical  aid,"  he  says,  "  and  through  the  blessing  of 
the  Lord,  whose  hands  bind  up  again,  my  complaint 
was  removed ;  and  when  I  gathered  a  little  strength  I 
sallied  forth  to  my  work  again."  While  preaching  in 
L-ish,  in  the  street  of  Ballina,  on  the  market  day,  he 
was  interrupted  by  a  man  who  wished  to  ask  him  some 
questions;  but  he  requested  the  person  to  have  pa- 
tience until  his  sermon  was  closed,  and  he  would  an- 
swer him  any  questions.  All  was  silence  while  he 
preached  for  an  hour ;  after  which  he  was  interrogated 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  285 


on  the  subject  of  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  from  our  Lord's 
words,  "  Whosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  axe  remitted," 
&c.  The  crowd  increased  ;  and  attention  sat  on  every 
brow,  while  Mr.  Ouseley  stated  that  St.  Peter  and  St 
Paul  must  have  been  true  expositors  of  our  Lord's 
meaning  in  this  passage ;  so  their  judgment  must,  of 
course,  be  decisive.  He  then  quoted  from  St.  Peter's 
words  in  the  Acts,  and  then  from  St.  Paul's  words — 
both  combining  to  testify  that  the  commission  and 
power  which  Christ  gave  them,  was  that  of  preaching 
to  the  people,  and  teaching  them  how  they  should  re- 
pent, believe  in  the  Lord,  and  thus  obtain  from  him 
forgiveness,  &c. ;  and,  hence,  that  the  apostles  never 
bestowed  any  such  forgiveness,  but  only  taught  men 
how  to  obtain  it  from  God.  He  was  on  his  feet  for 
three  hours,  during  which  time  the  people  heard  with 
the  utmost  attention;  and  this  indefatigable  servant 
of  God  exerted  himself  until  he  was  bathed  in  perspi- 
ration. After  resting  an  hour,  he  had  to  ride  off  five 
or  six  miles  to  another  congregation  who  were  expect- 
ing him.  "  "rtliat,"  saj-s  Mr.  Ouseley,  "  should  these 
creatures  do?  how  could  they  ever  get  enlightened^ 
had  not  God  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  some  persons  to 
stand  in  the  open  streets  and  instruct  them?"  He 
preached  ne.xt  in  the  house  of  a  gentleman,  to  the 
family,  tenants,  servants,  and  workmen ;  and  the  great 
Head  of  the  church  deigned  to  give  success  to  the  la- 
bors of  his  honored  servant  in  every  place.  "  I  have 
not  seen,"  he  says,  "  so  blessed  a  prospect  of  doing 
good  in  the  twenty-four  years  I  have  been  a  mission- 
ary, as  in  the  last  year." 

Various  were  the  methods  employed  by  Mr.  Ouseley 
to  fix  the  attention  of  the  ignorant  Irish  on  sacred 


286        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELBY. 


things,  and  to  disabuse  their  minds.  In  the  market  of 
Belturbet,  on  the  13th  of  May,  1824,  he  took  up  the 
Rhemish  Testament,  and  preached  from  Mark  xii,  24 — 
"  Do  ye  not  therefore  err,  because  ye  know  not  the 
ScNptures,"  &c. ;  and  proved  that  the  doctrines  of 
Christ  were  contained  therein ;  that  the  priests  on 
oath  owned  this ;  and  that  the  doQtrine  of  the  Pro- 
testant Testament  is  exactly  the  same:  that  there  is 
no  doctrine  in  the  Protestant  version  that  is  not  in  the 
Douay ;  though  some  expressions  may  be  in  the  latter 
that  are  not  in  the  former — such  as  penance,  in  some 
places,  instead  of  repentance.  The  congregation  ap- 
peared deeply  attentive  and  gratified.  He  then  con- 
tended with  vehemence,  that  all  the  false  doctrines  and 
superstitions  of  the  land,  on  the  one  hand,  and  all  the 
crimes,  anarchy,  and  savage  atrocities  on  the  other,  had 
their  origin  in  an  ignorance  of  the  Scriptures  and  of  the 
power  of  God.  He  then  advised  them  to  sit  together, 
like  good  neighbors  and  men  of  sense,  and  compare 
these  copies  of  the  Scriptures  together,  and  they  would 
soon  themselves  be  possessed  of  that  in  its  purity  whit-h 
our  Saviour  taught ;  and  would  be  like  brethren  in 
Christ.  "  How  would  you,"  he  inquired,  "  preserve 
yourselves  from  becoming  followers  of  a  Mohammedan 
teacher,  of  eloquence  and  subtilty,  except  by  com- 
paring his  doctrine  with  that  taught  by  Christ  and  his 
apostles?"  He  then  stated  the  immoral  condition  of 
every  parish,  and  mentioned  a  conversation  he  once 
had  with  a  priest  on  this  subject.  "  Sir,  you  allow  that 
mortal  sin  and  Christianity  are  incompatible;  you 
know  what  mortal  sin  is,  and  so  do  I ;  search  now  your 
parish,  and  see  if  you  can  find  me  a  man  not  in  mortal 
sin,  and  then  I  .shall  grant  you  have  found  a  Christian.'' 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  287 


The  priest  replied,  "  God  help  me,  sir,  I  can't  keep 
them  down  at  all,"  &c. 

During  the  year  1823,  and  the  three  or  four  follow- 
ing years,  Mr.  Ouseley  was  nominally  stationed  in  the 
countj'  of  Meath,  but  he  did  not  confine  his  labors  to 
that  scene.  "  Here,"  he  says,  "  we  have  a  prospect 
of  getting  new  openings  in  this  county,  which  is  a  bar- 
ren soil  indeed."  But  he  left  his  excellent  colleague, 
Mr.  John  Wilson,  to  labor-in  that  locality,  and  travel- 
ed more  at  large  through  the  land.  He  mourned  over 
the  moral  and  religious  state  of  the  country,  and  traced 
the  deplorable  effects  up  to  their  causes.  "  Sad  state  of 
things,"  he  remarks,  "  and  lamentable  to  an  enlighten- 
ed mind  to  behold !  The  people  so  managed  by  their 
spiritual  guides,  through  the  means  of  their  private 
confessions,  &c.,  that  they  dare  not  receive  any  reli- 
gious instructions  but  their  own.  One  instance  out  of 
many : — A  young  woman,  a  servant,  went  to  her  con- 
fession lately,  and,  among  other  things,  told  her  con- 
fessor that  she  attended  family  prayer  in  her  master's 
house  every  night.  No  sooner  had  she  mentioned 
this,  while  on  her  knees,  than  she  received  from  his 
reverence  such  a  blow  of  his  fist,  on  the  side  of  her 
head,  as  laid  her  prostrate  at  his  feet.  To  pacify  him, 
she  promised  she  would  do  so  no  more."  Notwith- 
standing all  the  artifices  and  efforts  of  an  intolerant 
priesthood,  many  of  the  people,  however,  forgetting 
occasionally  their  feai-s,  hearkened  with  great  pleasure 
to  the  voice  of  truth,  and  were  captivated  by  it 

In  one  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  excursions  this  year,  he 
met  with  an  intelligent  though  bigoted  Roman  Catho- 
lic on  one  of  the  public  cars,  who  thought  to  expose 
him  before  the  passengers.    He  took  up  the  subject  of 


288        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

transubstantiation  ;  and  argued,  that  as  Protestants  do 
not  believe  in  that  doctrine,  they  are  infidels,  and  can- 
not be  saved.  In  reply,  Mr.  O.  said,  "  My  friend,  do 
you  not  believe,  that  -whatsoever  is  contrary  to  truth,  is 
falsehood,  and  is  therefore  of  the  father  of  lies  ?"  He 
said,  he  certainly  did.  "  Do  you  not  allow  then  that 
our  blessed  Lord  bears  certain  characters  or  marks, 
whereby  he  could  be  distinguished  fi-om  any  false 
Christ,  and  from  every  other  man — characters  of  him 
stated  in  the  writings  of  the  prophets,  from  Moses  to 
the  last  of  them,  any  one  of  which  had  he  wanted  when 
he  appeared,  he  could  not  be  the  true  Christ  ?  And 
if  the  enemies  of  Christianity — the  Jews,  Porphyry, 
Julian,  &c. — could  have  proved  against  our  Lord  that 
he  really  possessed  not,  or  had  been  defective  in,  any 
one  of  these  prophetic  characters,  would  they  not  have 
been  justified  in  denominating  him  a  false  Christ?"  "  This 
is  very  true,  indeed."  "  Could  any  of  them  prove,"  Mr. 
O.  continued,  "  that  he  was  not  born  of  a  virgin,  or 
that  he  never  was  a  real  infant,  boy,  or  man  ;  that  he 
was  not  of  David's  line,  nor  of  the  tribe  of  Judah — or 
did  not  raise  the  dead,  cure  the  lame,  die  himself  on 
a  cross — or  did  not  rise  the  third  day  from  the  dead, 
and  ascend  up  into  heaven  in  the  presence  of  many — 
I  say,  could  they  have  thus  proved  that  he  wanted  any 
of  these  characters,  would  it  not  follow  that  he  was  not 
the  real  Messiah?"  "You  are  right  in  all  this,  sir; 
but  what  then  ?"  "  Why,  do  you  not  see  the  con- 
sequence ?  Is  it  not  clear  to  all,  that  if  it  would  be 
impossible  for  him  who  was  called  Christ,  if  he  wanted 
even  one  mark  belonging  to  the  true  Christ,  to  be  the 
true  and  real  Christ,  so  must  it  be  impossible  for  that 
which  wants  every  character  of  the  true  Messiah  to  be 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  289 


other  than  a  false  Clirist,  a  fraud  on  human  credulity  ? 
Now,  has  the  sacramental  bread  been  born  of  the 
Virgin  Mary,  or  has  it  any  one  of  the  characters  I 
have  mentioned  ?  Is  not  transubstantiation,  therefore, 
a  combination  of  falsehoods,  and,  of  course,  a  docti-ine 
of  the  father  of  lies  to  delude  the  children  of  men  ?" 
The  men  looked  at  one  another  with  astonishment, 
while  tlie  casuist  replied,  "  O,  if  I  had  a  day  with  you 
in  our  parish,  I  think  I  could  foil  you  " 

The  claims  of  the  poor  ignorant  Irish  on  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley's  snnpathy  and  attention  seemed  to  increase  with 
his  years,  so  that  he  ceaselessly  endeavored,  by  every 
means,  to  address  them  on  the  all-important  subject  of 
their  ))ersonal  salvation.  He  states  in  a  letter,  Sep- 
tember, 1824:  "This  ruined  people  cannot  be  extri- 
cated from  their  dismal  state  unless  special  exertions 
be  made  in  their  behalf.  I  have  ever,  from  the  begin- 
ning, been  impressed,  that  I  must  take  my  life  in  my 
hand,  and  try  to  meet  them  in  the  pubhc  streets,  that 
I  may  endeavor  to  open  their  eyes,  or  else  despair  of 
doing  them  any  essential  service.  Here  they  listen 
with  such  atttention  as  is  truly  astonishing.  In  the 
last  few  weeks  I  have  preached  twenty-four  times  in 
the  streets,  without  any  serious  interruption."  This, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  was  not  always  the  case  ;  in 
a  few  days  afterward,  preaching  in  the  street  of  Mona- 
ghan,  a  man  came  deliberately  up  toward  him,  as  if  to 
hear,  and  treacherously  gave  him  a  blow  of  his  fist  in 
the  stomach  that  took  awaj-  his  breath  for  a  short  time. 
The  people  pulled  the  man  down  with  some  violence  ; 
Mr.  Ouseley  requested  them  to  do  him  no  harm ; 
adding,  that  after  his  sleep  he  would  be  sorry  himself. 
The  magistrates  would  not  connive  at  such  a  flagrant 
19 


290        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


breach  of  the  peace ;  they  committed  him  to  custody, 
and  Mr.  Ouseley  reluctantly  lodgetl  informations.  He 
urged  strongly  on  the  missionary  committee,  at  this 
time,  the  great  necessity  of  a  supply  of  the  Rhemish 
Testament,  which  the  Romish  clergy  dread  as  much 
as  they  do  the  authorized  version  :  and  ascribed  all 
the  miseries  of  Ireland  to  the  substitution  of  human 
doctrines  for  tlie  pure  word  of  God. 

In  the  latter  end  of  December,  1824,  Mr.  Ouseley's 
life  was  in  imminent  danger  in  the  town  of  Kilrush. 
He  attempted  preaching  in  the  street,  as  in  other 
places ;  but  the  mob  had  been  prepai-ed  by  their  priest 
to  make  an  attack  on  God's  servant.  This  violent  and 
intolerant  bigot,  having  learned  that  Mr.  O.  wa.s  come, 
warned  his  congregation  against  him ;  exhorted  them 
to  proceed,  and  assured  them  that  there  was  no  law 
for  him.  At  that  period  Pastorini  on  the  Apocalypse, 
against  which  Mr.  O.  had  written  a  tract,  was  very  in- 
dustriously circulated.  Pastorini  had  prophesied  the 
overthrow  of  Protestantism  in  1825,  and  the  great  mass 
of  the  people  were  prepared  to  facilitate  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  fatal  prediction.  In  this  spii-it  they 
raised  the  attack  on  Mr.  Ouseley  when  he  commenced 
his  sermon — shouting,  ami  throwing  stones,  and  every- 
thing else  they  could  lay  hold  on.  The  police  hastened 
to  the  spot,  and  order  was  for  a  moment  restored,  when 
Mr.  O.  resumed  bis  discourse,  exhorting  his  heai'ers  to 
prepare  for  the  judgment  of  the  great  day.  The  calm 
which  for  a  moment  prevailed  was  a  deceitful  one ; 
they  renewed  the  attack  with  greater  violence  :  a  vol- 
ley of  stones  was  discharged  at  the  police,  as  well  as  at 
the  preacher,  and  several  of  them  were  bruised  and 
wounded.    To  prevent  the  loss  of  life,  Mr.  Oijseley 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  291 


retired  in  safetj-,  thanking  his  merciful  Preserver. 
The  magistrates  held  a  petty  sessions  to  investigate 
the  cause  of  the  riot,  and  find  out  and  prosecute  those 
who  had  wounded  the  police.  But  the  priest,  filled 
with  rage,  came  into  the  court,  and  opposed  and  in- 
sulted the  bench  of  magistrates,  and  demanded  that 
the  coui't  should  adjourn.  The  magistrates  could  not 
proceed,  and  had,  in  point  of  ftict,  to  adjourn  till  the 
next  day,  when  tlie  priest  opposed  them  again,  and 
they  had  again  to  break  up,  and  relinquish  the  inves- 
tigation. Tlius  the  course  of  justice  was  interrupted, 
the  justices  of  the  peace  were  insulted,  and  the  rights 
of  English  subjects  trampled  on  with  impunity  by  a 
haughty  and  intolerant  ecclesiastic. 

Xotwithstanding  all  the  hostility  of  die  Romish 
clergy  to  the  gospel  of  Christ,  the  progress  of  truth 
was  accelerated;  public  discussions  were  carried  on 
between  the  Protestant  and  Romish  clergv-;  many, 
who  supposed  their  piinciples  could  not  be  success- 
fully assailed,  were  convinced  of  their  unsoundness, 
and  religious  inquiry  promoted.  Mr.  Ouscley's  book- 
had  no  inconsiderable  place  in  the  causes  which  led  to 
this  result;  and  while  the  Romish  clergy  dreaded  his 
appearance,  the  Protestant  clergj-  in  every  place  hailed 
his  approach.  He  attended  the  Can-ick-on-Shannon 
discussion;  but  the  priests  woidd  not  consent  to  his 
taking  a  part  In  it.  He,  however,  sat  at  the  table  with 
the  clergy;  and,  when  requisite,  supplied  them  with 
aj-guments,  and  sometimes  transmitted  them  on  slips 
of  paper  to  the  several^  speakers.  Pressed  vciy  hard 
at  one  stage  of  the  argument  by  a  priest,  on  '■  Lo,  I  am 
with  you  alway,"  &c.,  one  of  the  speakei-s,  the  Rev. 
Mr.  H  ,  penciled  on  a  slip  of  paper,    AVhat  shall 


292 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


I  say  to  this  ?"  The  answer  was  ready — part  of  the 
text  quoted — "  Teaching  them  whatsoever  things  I 
have  commanded  you,"  &c.  This  was  decisive,  as 
they  could  not  claim  the  promise  without  obeying  the 
injunction. 

Two  excellent  young  men  who  had  been  in  the 
jMethodist  society,  but  were  at  this  time  employed  by 
the  Independent  Church  as  agents,  were  challenged  by 
priest  Devine  to  a  discussion  on  the  doctrines  of  their 
church,  and  sent  after  their  old  friend  Mr.  Ouseley, 
who  had  just  been  in  the  country ;  but  his  appoint- 
ments, pi-eviously  made,  would  not  admit  of  his  return- 
ing. The  discussion  took  place  in  the  chapel  of  Easky, 
and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Urwick  came  to  their  assistance. 
The  controversy  was  carried  on  in  an  amicable  spirit 
on  both  sides ;  but  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Urwick  the  truth 
was  triumphant. 

In  the  winter  of  1824  Mr.  Ouseley,  by  direction  of 
the  conference,  visited  Connaught  and  part  of  Mun- 
ster,  in  reference  to  some  chapels  which  he  had  built 
in  those  places.  In  the  county  of  Mayo  especially, 
several  Romanists,  who  had  formerly  heard  him  in  the 
streets,  now  ventured  into  the  houses  where  he  preach- 
ed, and  heard  him  gladly.  Some  of  them  joined  the 
society  ;  the  attachment  of  others  to  their  superstitions 
was  shaken ;  and  many  seemed  prepared  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  truth.  ' 

The  early  part  of  1825  was  principally  spent  in  the 
counties  of  Cavan  and  Monaghan.  As  the  Protestant 
population  in  this  part  of  the  country  was  somewhat 
equal  in  proportion  to  the  Roman  Catholic,  and  the 
influence  of  the  priests  on  that  account  less  powerful, 
Mr.  Ouseley  preached  with  less  interruption,  and,  in 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  293 


general,  to  large  congregations.  "My  health  and 
strength,"  he  says,  "continue  unabated,  though  now 
in  my  sixty-fourth  year ;  and  I  continue  to  preach  in 
the  markets,  fairs,  and  streets,  to  listening  crowds, 
■where  practicable."  It  is  truly  interesting  to  notice 
the  ardor  with  which  this  veteran  of  the  cross  still 
prosecuted  his  arduous  toil.  Every  day — sometimes 
twice  and  thrice  in  the  day — did  he  engage  in  minis- 
tering, both  in  English  and  Irish,  the  word  of  life.  At 
one  time  we  find  him  on  horseback,  retired  from  the 
huny  and  bustle  of  the  market,  but  where  numbers  of 
Romanists  might  hear ;  at  another  time,  in  the  midst 
of  a  fair ;  in  one  place,  at  the  close  of  the  day,  outside 
a  market-house,  opening  his  commission  to  a  large 
audience  by  the  hght  of  a  lamp ;  and  in  another,  at  the 
door  of  a  school-house,  singing  in  the  moonlight,  until 
"  the  people  crept  out  and  gathered  round  him,"  when 
he  declared  unto  them  Jesus.  Nor  did  drizzling  rain, 
or  cold,  or  the  sometimes  falling  snow,  deter  him  from 
his  work,  or  deprive  him  of  his  congregations.  On  one 
occasion,  under  such  circumstances,  he  rode  into  the 
market  of  Ballydufl",  and  preached  to  a  great  concourse, 
chiefly  Romanists.  His  text  was  John  xx,  21,  23, — 
"  As  my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you. 
TVTiosesoever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto 
them ;  and  whosesoever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retain- 
ed." On  this  passage  chiefly  the  priests  found  their 
power  of  forgiving  sins.  Mr.  Ouseley  therefore  called 
the  particulai-  attention  of  his  audience  to  this  most 
important  subject.  The  substance  of  the  discourse  is 
preserved  in  one  of  his  letters,  and  afibrds  "  a  sketch," 
to  use  his  own  words,  "  of  his  manner  of  preaching  to 
the  Irish  Romanists  in  that  plain,  argumentative  w^y 


294        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDKON  OUSKLKT. 

■which  seldom,  if  ever,  oifends  them."  Having  intro- 
duced the  subject,  "  I  laid  before  them,"  says  Mr.  O., 
"the  universal  necessity  for  pardon  of  sins,  and  the 
knowledge  thereof;  for  all  had  sinned,  and  must  there- 
fore 'be  pardoned,  or  continue  guilty,  and  be  lost  for 
ever.  I  then  showed  them  that  the  apostles  must  have 
been  the  best  expositors  of  the  import  of  their  commis- 
sion with  regard  to  this  forgiveness ;  they  did  not  look 
on  it  as  any  personal  authority  to  forgive  men,  but  to 
lead  them,  by  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  to  obtain  it 
themselves  of  God,  through  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  by  the  Spii-it  of  God  working  in  them  re- 
pentance and  faith,  and  bringing  home  the  blessing  to 
their  souls.  To  prove  this,  I  collated  St.  Peter,  Acts 
ii,  38;  iii,  19;  x,  42,  43,  with  St.  Paul,  Acts  xiii, 
38,  39  ;  and  adduced  parts  of  their  several  catechisms, 
and  also  of  the  Lord's  prayer,  all  combining  to  mani- 
fest that  this  forgiveness  is  not  in  the  power  of  men  or 
angels  to  confer,  but  is  a  transaction  between  a  peni- 
tent sinner  and  his  God,  who  alone,  for  Christ's  sake, 
bestows  this  great  gift,  and  renders  the  soul  happy."  / 

Mr.  Ouseley  now  brought  his  argument  to  bear  on 
the  power  of  the  priests  to  forgive  sins.  "  I  proceeded 
to  show  them,"  he  continues,  "  that  Christ's  pardon  is 
perfect,  and  leaves  no  guilt  behind,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  woman  caught  in  adultery,  and  of  the  penitent 
thief  who  was  that  day  brought  safe  to  paradise,  &c. ; 
but  any  pardon  that  varies  from  Christ's,  or  is  imper- 
fect, must  of  course  be  a  delusive,  a  false  pardon.  I 
then  pointed  out  four  several  ways  of  pardoning  sin  by 
the  pope  and  his  clergy ;  all  which,  when  done,  they 
confess  are  imperfect,  and  therefore  false.  The  first  is 
'  by  penance  and  absolution  of  the  priest ;  the  second, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEt.  295 


by  offering  up  a  mass — a  Christ,  soul,  body,  and  divinity, 
in  the  mass — for  the  penitent ;  the  third,  by  an  indul- 
gence, which  restores  to  baptismal  purity,  preserves 
from  purgatory  and  all  its  pains,  and  opens  the  gates 
of  paradise  and  delight ;  and  the  fourth,  by  extreme 
unction,  which  leaves  no  trace  or  spot  of  sin  behind.' 
Now  these  four  ought  at  the  least  be  equal  to  one  per- 
fect pardon,  which  brings  the  soul  of  the  dead  instantly 
to  paradise.  Yet  v/hen  even  the  pope  himself  dies,  or 
any  of  his  bishops,  all  his  clergy  on  earth  declare 
he  is  not  gone  to  paradise,  but  to  purgatory;  and  begin 
to  say  ever  so  many  masses  to  rescue  him  therefrom. 
By  this  they  demonstrate  to  the  world  that  they  do  not 
believe  any  of  those  pardons  which  the  pope  or  his 
clergy  got  or  gave,  or  all  of  them  put  together,  amount- 
ed to  a  real  and  perfect  pardon  of  sin ;  and  hence  that 
they  are  all  imperfect,  or,  in  other  words,  completely 
false  ! !  How  alarming  then  must  this  discovery  be  to 
all  concerned  !  To  such  pardons  should  none  of  them 
trust,  but  to  that  alone  which  each  may  obtain  from 
God,  who  saith,  '  Every  one  that  asketh,  receiveth ; 
and  he  that  seeketh,  findeth ;  and  to  him  that  knocketh 
it  shall  be  opened.' "  The  people  heard  with  peculiar 
attention,  while  the  man  of  God  urged  on  them  an 
immediate  application  to  Him  unto  whom  mercies  and 
forgiveness  belong.  Not  a  frown  was  on  any  face; 
seriousness  sat  on  every  brow  ;  and  when  Mr.  Ouseley 
concluded  with  prayer,  every  head  was  uncovered,  and 
all  appeared  to  be  earnestly  engaged  in  the  solemn  ser- 
vice. "  After  I  cooled,"  he  says,  "  I  rode  off  to  Kells, 
about  seventeen  English  miles,  and  preached  that 
evening." 

Mr.  Ouseley's  faithfulness  in  what  he  considered  his 


296         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


peculiar  work  was  not  only  manifest  in  his  undimin- 
ished labors,  but  in  the  sentiments  which  he  about  this 
time  expressed,  in  a  letter  to  the  missionary  committee, 
with  regard  to  liis  proceedings  among  the  Irish  Roman- 
ists, and  the  great  importance  of  the  general  mission  in 
which  he  was  especially  engaged.  He  writes  as  fol- 
lows : — "  Where  the  population  is  chiefly  Romish,  and 
the  priests  have  the  greatest  power  and  influence, 
little  good  can  be  effected,  except  when  I  come  upon 
them  unawares.  Then,  for  a  time  or  two,  before  their 
priests  can  get  at  them,  they  will  hear  with  great  de- 
light; the  savor  of  it  in  some  measure  remains,  and 
good  is  thus  done,  though  not  so  suddenly  perceptible. 
Hence  a  preacher  who  would,  in  the  hand  of  God,  be 
instrumental  of  enlightening  this  ruined,  yet  fine,  when 
instructed,  people,  must  watch  for  them  like  a  fowler : 
he  must  be  to  them  as  the  sei"pent  and  the  dove.  If 
my  God  has  assigned  me  any  work  to  do  in  the  world, 
which  I  know  he  graciously  has,  this  I  conceive  is  pe- 
culiarly my  province.  ISIy  mind  is  in  it  day  and  night. 
My  vigor,  my  tongue,  my  pen,  are  in  it,  almost  wholly 
so.  When  otherwise  appointed,  except  in  some  exempt 
cases,  I  am  not  in  my  element — I  am  not  in  my  place. 
Did  I  wish  to  take  rest  or  ease  to  myself — could  my 
mind  admit  of  it — when  appointed  to  a  local  mission  I 
would  be  gratified  to  the  full;  I  could  easily  preach 
every  day  to  the  few  Protestants  to  be  found  here  and 
there,  and  pass  by  the  multitudes  of  dark  Papists,  as 
if  they  had  no  existence  in  creation,  or  were  unworthy 
of  any  notice.  They,  poor  things,  dare  not  come  to 
hear  in  Pi-otestant  houses,  unless  perhaps  a  few,  and 
those  rarely,  and  by  stealth,  or  when,  after  hearing 
preaching  in  the  street,  they  are  under  strong  excite- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  297 


ment  for  the  time.  Nor  durst  they  allow  any  of  us  to 
go  into  their  houses  and  talk  with  them,  so  much  do 
they  dread  each  other  and  the  priests.  In  these  awful 
circnmstanoes  then,  what  is  to  be  done  to  enlighten 
and  extj-icate  them  from  the  most  flagitious,  absurd, 
impious,  and  criminal  system  of  spiritual  degradation 
and  tyranny  that  ever  appeared  on  earth,  unless  some 
who  know  this  mystery  of  iniquit}',  rise  up,  and  unite, 
and  go  meet  them  where  they  can  be  met  with,  even 
in  the  open  streets  ? 

"  The  quantum  of  good  done  among  them  is  not  to 
be  estimated  by  the  number  that  may  at  present  quit 
the  mass,  join  themselves  to  Protestant  churches,  and 
embrace  the  gospel,  so  much  as  by  the  light  that  is 
progressing  from  keeping  the  ball  constantly  thrown 
up  before  them,  an  effect  which  is  daily  becoming 
more  palpable  by  this  circumstance — the  attention  and 
even  thankfulness  evinced  by  them  when  the  very 
bulwarks  of  darkness  and  superstition,  at  the  bare  men- 
tion of  which  heretofore  they  could  scarcely  restrain 

their  fury,  are  torn  up  before  them  I  engaged 

in  this  work  of  openly  following  them  (the  Papists) 
long  before  I  joined  the  connection  as  a  missionary :  I 
have  now  nearly  completed  twenty-six  years  in  that 
character :  I  am,  thank  God,  as  strong  and  Avilling  to 
labor  as  ever  I  have  been,  and  that  in  the  most  exten- 
sive way  to  which  I  can  reach.  With  humility  and 
thankfulness  to  my  God  I  say,  he  thrust  me  out  into 
the  streets  after  this  unfortunate  people  ;  and  hath  not 
only  preserved  me  unhurt  in  the  midst  of  many  perils, 
by  reason  of  their  priests,  and  their  ignorance  and  fury,, 
to  this  hour,  but  given  me  to  see  several  of  them 
brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.    And  if  I  were 


298        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


dying  this  da)',  my  advice  would  be,  'Keep  the  ball 
thrown  up  among  them :'  as  said  the  venerable  Coke  : 
'  send  forth  as  extensively  as  possible  men  qualified  to 
disabuse  them ;  such  _as  are  prepared  of  God  to  go 
forth  into  the  streets,  and  meet  them  in  their  own 
tongue.' "  The  important  sentiments  iu  the  above  ex- 
tract, urged  so  powerfull)'  by  Mr.  Ouseley,  have  been 
already  occasionally  referred  to  ;  but  I  deemed  it  right 
to  place  the  subject  before  you  in  his  own  peculiar  and 
nervous  stylo.  Llay  God  prepare  and  send  forth  men 
partaking  the  same  spirit,  and  endued  with  the  same 
zeal,  until  our  country  shall  be  delivered  from  the 
bondage  of  corruption, — 

"  And  not  one  plaintive  groan  or  sigh, 
Be  heard  in  all  the  joyous  sky  1" 

Yours,  &c. 


LETTER  Xm. 

Mr.  Oueeley  Bcverely  afllicted— Gains  strength  to  write— Animadvereions  on  ti  declara- 
tion of  the  Romish  liicrarch  y,  and  Dr.  Doyle's  pastorrtl— Takes  a  tour  through  Galway— 
Accident  ill  Concmara— Porspculed  by  a  priest  in  Diinmore— Escapes  injury  in  Mul- 
Ungar— In  dung-er  of  a  relapse  of  innainmation  of  the  lung*— Preaches  numerous  ser- 
mons in  the  strocts— Progress  of  Scriptural  knowledge  and  inquiry— Movement  pro- 
moled  by  Mr.  0\i.sp!py's  wriiin^iuitl  labors— Instances  showing  this  fact— Resoluliont 
of  Scripture  reaiters— Progress  of  reformation  in  Cavan— Mr.  0.  visits  the  earl  of 
Parnh:Am  —  Kindly  received  by  the  nobiliiy,  gentry,  and  clergy  —  Lady  Farnham 
requests  liberty  to  publish  Old  Christianity  at  her  own  expense- Letter  from  a  gentle- 
man in  Cavan— Religious  movement  in  the  Eoulh-Striking  peculiarity  of  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley's  mode  of  street  preaching— liislaiice.s— Disputing  in  the  market  with  those  that 
met  with  him — Visila  another  scene  of  ieform:\tlon  near  the  county  of  Meath — Again 
visits  King'ii  Court— Preacfiea  on  the  "ancient  failli  "—Several  express  their 
approval — Speech  at  reformalion  meeting  in  Omagh — Visits  England — Tour  through 
Leinster  and  the  nortli- Visits  Belfast— Answers  to  father  Brennan's  Penitential  Ad- 
dress— Vindication  of  Methodist  doctrine  and  disdipliue — Visits  again  the  e^etie  of 
reformation— Answer  to  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  G.  Spencer— Letter  to  Dr.  M'Enery, 
P.  P.  of  T rale e— Conversation  with  Biddy— Persecution  in  Tuam— Kindness  of 
clergymen  of  the  EstaMiahment— Sketch  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  labor  for  a  year. 

My  Dear  Friend, — Early  in  1826  Mr.  Ouseley 
had  an  attack  on  his  lungs,  arising  from  heavy  cold, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OCSELEY.  299 


by  -which  he  was  confined  for  six  weeks.  But  though 
prevented  from  public  exercises,  he  was  by  no  means 
idle  ;  his  pen  was  employed  for  the  noble  purposes  for 
which  he  had  exercised  his  public  ministry — for  the 
exposure  of  error,  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  the  conversion  of  immortal  souls.  He 
counted  it  indeed  a  great  mercy  from  his  heavenly 
Father,  to  have  been  brought  under  occasional  afflic- 
tion, as  it  gave  him  opportunities  of  prosecuting  his 
work  in  another  way,  not  less  effectual  than  preaching 
the  word.  ''I  have  had  often  to  rejoice  much,"  he 
remarks,  "  after  such  seasons  of  gentle  afliiction,  that 
did  not  confine  me  wholly ;  for  what  I  have  then  written 
has  been  more  blessed  to  this  countrj-,  than  if  I  had 
been  orally  engaged  for  perhaps  twenty  times  that 
period."  He  published  some  tracts  during  his  indis- 
position at  this  time,  which  he  partly  compiled  from  a 
succession  of  letters  which  had  been  already  published 
in  the  Galway  Journal,  and  other  provincial  journals, 
and  which  had  had  extensive  circulation  ;  and  such  was 
the  avidity  with  which  they  were  read,  that  in  some 
instances  there  was  a  second  edition  given  of  them  in 
the  newspapers,  to  gratify  the  public  desire  for  read- 
ing them.  And  yet,  as  he  remarks,  there  was  "  not  a 
single  tittle  of  reply  from  the  priests,  even  in  Gal- 
way." 

At  this  time,  too,  a  united  declaration  appeared  in 
the  papers,  from  "  The  thirty  Archbishops  and  Bishops 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  Ireland,"  explanatory 
of  their  religious  and  political  principles.  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley  pronounces  this  a  most  Jesuitical  piece;  laments 
the  supineness  of  the  Protestant  clergy  in  not  replying 
to  it,  and  says  that  "  their  silence  amounts  to  an  ac- 


300        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


knowledgment  that  it  is  all  right;"  and  that  Protest- 
ants and  Romanists  would  naturally  come  to  such  a 
conclusion  respecting  this  deceptive  production.  To 
the  fourteen  articles  in  this  Declaration  he  prepared  a 
reply,  in  which  he  proved  that  in  the  whole  of  them, 
none  of  these  bishops  can  believe  there  is  any  truth 
whatever.  While  in  Galway,  a  little  before  this,  he 
published  a  reply  to  a  famous  pastoral  of  Dr.  Doyle, 
proving  that  he  did  not,  or  could  not,  believe,  that  the 
faith  of  his  church  is  the  true  faith  of  Christ.  This 
also,  (which  he  put  in  one  of  his  tracts,)  though  pub- 
lished in  the  papers,  was  never  touched  by  any  of  the 
clergy.    How  could  they  "  answer  truth '?" 

He  took  a  tour  of  nearly  a  month,  in  the  winter  of 
this  year,  on  the  Galway  mission,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Feely  ;  and  although  the  weather  was  very  severe  he 
persevered  in  preaching  in  the  streets.  While  engaged 
in  this  way  in  the  market  of  Oughterard,  in  Conemara, 
two  priests  came  up  and  interdicted  the  people ;  but 
only  a  few  zealous  partisans  paid  attention  to  their 
mandate,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  congregation 
continued  to  hear  with  devout  attention.  He  then 
proceeded  through  the  mountains  to  one  of  the  schools 
established  by  the  society,  and  then  under  the  super- 
intendence of  the  excellent  agent  of  the  missionary 
committee,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Edwards.  As  Messrs. 
Ouseley  and  Feely  went  along — it  was  after  heavy 
rains — in  crossing  a  small  rivulet  they  were  both 
suddenly  plunged  in  the  stream.  This  is  so  good- 
humoredly  told  by  Mr.  Ouseley,  that  I  shall  give  it  in 
his  own  words  :  "  In  passing  over  the  rivulet  down  went 
my  mare  suddenly,  and  while  she  plunged,  off  I  tum- 
bled, and  was  thrown  on  my  back  in  the  water ;  brother 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  0U3ELEY.  301 


Feely  rode  up  quickly  to  my  assistance,  but  down  he 
and  his  little  Rosinante  went;  after  gathering  ourselves 
up,  nothing  hurt  that  signified,  thank  God,  wc  got  to 
our  place  at  IVIr.  Lyons's."  The  poor  people  were 
dehghted  to  hear  him  while  he  preached  on,  '•  Fear  not, 
little  flock."  One  mau,  who,  for  fear  his  life  would  be 
taken,  had  gone  to  mass,  now  saw  the  folly  of  such  a 
step,  and,  in  company  with  another,  ran  by  Sir.  Ouse- 
ley's  side  a  considei-able  distance;  one  of  them  cried 
out,    I  never  knew  my  religion  till  now." 

A  singular  instance  of  the  effect  of  Mr.  Ouseley's 
preaching  was  here  exhibited-  A  poor  Roman  Catho- 
lic woman,  who,  fifteen  years  before,  had  heard  him 
preach,  was  then  awakened,  and,  though  she  continued 
at  the  mass,  she  retained  her  fear  of  God,  and  her  love 
to,  and  trust  in,  the  Lord  Jesus ;  and  went  about  doing 
good,  visiting  the  sick,  as  a  minister  of  religion,  and 
pointing  them  to  "  the  Lamb  of  God  who  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world."  She  came  ninning  with  delight, 
to  mecft  once  more  her  father  in  the  gospel. 

While  in  his  own  town,  Dunmore,  a  little  before, 
he  was  assailed  by  the  priest ;  and  what  rendered  it 
the  more  remarkable,  the  priest  was  a  man  whose 
character  was  held  in  deserved  contempt  even  by 
his  own  people.  I  never  noticed  Mr.  Ouseley  more 
seriously  annoj  ed  than  on  the  occasion  in  which  he 
was  hooted  and  vilified  in  a  most  indecent  manner  by 
this  wicked  man.  On  his  return  to  Dublin,  a  little 
after  Christmas,  he  naiTowly  escaped  being  seriously 
injured;  while  in  Mullingar,  preaching  under  the 
market-house,  a  hea'\y  missile  was  discharged  at  his 
naked  head,  but  providentially  hit  tlie  wall  behind  him ; 
and,  although  many  heard  the  word  with  gladness,  such 


302      -MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


was  the  disposition  on  the  part  of  others,  who  shouted 
and  yelled  like  Indians,  that  the  police  with  difficulty 
kept  the  peace.  They  seized  on  the  assailant,  however, 
and  lodged  him  in  jail  for  that  night;  but  Mr.  Ouseley 
declined  lodging  informations  against  him,  and  satisfied 
himself  with  inserting  an  article  on  the  subject  in  the 
"Westmeath  Journal,  and  passed  on  to  the  county  of 
Meath,  where  he  had  to  take  to  his  bed ;  and  passed 
through  the  affliction  already  described. 

His  first  tqnr  after  his  illness  was  in  the  month  of 
February,  and  although  he  was  in  a  state  of  weakness, 
and  under  a  strong  interdict  by  his  physician  to  guard 
against  a  relapse  of  inflammation  of  his  lungs,  yet  he 
generally  preached  every  day,  and  frequently  in  the 
markets;  and,  too  regardless  of  health  and  life,  he 
exposed  himself  in  the  open  streets  wliile  the  people 
flocked  around  him  to  hear  the  gospel  in  their  own 
tongue.  Some  time  after  his  illness,  he  preached  on 
horseback,  in  the  market  of  Ballynagh,  county  of 
Cavan,  on  Saturday,  having  already  preached  seven- 
teen times  that  week,  nine  times  of  which  were  in  the 
streets:  he  was  bathed  in  perspiration,  and  caught  a 
heavy  cold,  on  account  of  which  he  was  obliged  to  get 
himself  blooded ;  but  he  soon  got  well  again.  He  passed 
through  several  counties  at  this  time;  and  in  thirty- 
five  days  preached  about  eighty-four  times,  of  which 
from  thirty  to  forty  sermons  were  preached  in  the 
streets :  and  his  discourses  on  these  occasions,  in  Irish 
and  English,  and,  as  he  himself  remarks,  "  using  so 
many  arguments  to  enlighten  such  crowds  of  the 
ignorant,  might  indeed  be  well  called  double  sermons." 

The  year  1826  was  memorable  in  Ireland,  in  the 
progress  of  Scriptural  knowledge  and  inquiry.  One 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  303 


short  year  had  scarcely  elapsed,  since,  as  we  have  seen, 
the  predictions  of  Pastorini  were,  according  to  the 
anticipations  of  misguided  millions,  to  be  accomplished 
in  the  totid  extirpation  of  heretics,  and  the  triumph 
of  Rome  over  Protcstimtism.  Jsow,  dill'erent  scenes 
were  transacted,  and  iifir  other  consci[uenccs  produced. 
It  might  be  supposed  that,  "as  it  wore  by  way  of 
reprisals,''  the  religion  of  the  Bible  advanced  in  its  ag- 
gressive warfare  on  the  dominion  of  darkness  and  error, 
and  thousands  were  turned  from  lying  vanities  to 
search  for  Christianity  in  the  volume  of  divine  truth, 
and  openly  avowed  their  determination  not  to  allow 
—either  themselves  or  their  children  to  be  deprived  of 
their  inalienable  rights  as  men,  as  British  subjects,  or 
as  Christians.  Great  numbers,  too,  formally  renounced 
their  connection  with  Rome,  and  declared  their  ad- 
herence to  the  religion  of  Christ.  Mr.  Ouseley's  tracts, 
and  especially  his  Old  Christianity,  as  well  as  his 
preaching  in  Irish  in  the  public  places  of  the  laud,  con- 
tributed, as  will  be  seen,  in  no  small  degree  to  this 
gratifying  result. 

In  the  Missionary  Notices  for  January,  1828,  this 
opinion  is  stated  in  no  dubious  terms: — ^"The  numer- 
ous renunciations  of  Popery  which  have  recently 
tiien  place  in  Ireland  have  justly  called  the  attention 
of  the  public  to  that  interesting  country;  and  they 
induce  the  hope  that  -  light  and  truth'  will  prevail 
more  and  more,  till  superstition  and  ignorance  have 
yielded  to  the  sacred  and  felicitating  knowledge  of  the 
pure  gospel  of  Christ  Jesus.  The  subjoined  extracts 
from  the  journal  of  Mr.  Ouseley,  who  has  been  among 
the  first  and  most  successful  promoters  of  the  present 
retbrmation  from  Popery  in  that  country,  will  exhibit 


304        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OLSELEY. 

somewhat  in  detail  the  praiseworthy  labors  of  our 
missionaries." 

Some  striking  facts  are  given  in  a  letter  of  ili-.  Ouse- 
ley,  one  of  which  is  as  follows  : — In  conversing  with 
an  "interesting  young  woman,  a  Roman  Catholic,  he 
asked  her  among  many  other  things,  "  Do  you  believe 
that  when  the  wafer  is  consecrated  by  the  priest,  it 
becomes  true  Christ,  the  son  of  the  Virgin  Mary  ?" 
She  replied,  "  No,  sir,  I  do  not  believe  it,  nor  ever  did." 
"  What  then  do  you  do,  when  you  are  at  confession, 
and  the  priest  asks  you  about  it  ?"  "  But  I  never  go  to 
confession."  "  How  then  do  you  do,"  he  continued, 
"  when  you  go  to  mass,  and  all  fall  down  and  adore  the 
eucharist  ?"  Here  she  paused,  and  sighed  ;  and  wheu 
the  family  and  Mr.  Ouscley  were  going  to  church  she 
cheerfully  ECfccompanied  them.  It  being  sacrament 
Sunday,  she  devoutly  approached  the  Lord's  table,  as 
did  another  Romanist,  resolving,  at  every  i-isk,  to  at- 
tend the  Protestant  worship  in  future.  He  then  with 
gratitude  adds,  "  God  is  pouring  light  on  many  of 
these  long-benighted  and  deluded  people.  O,  thanks 
to  his  great  name,  there  is,  notwithstanding  all  the 
artifices  of  the  rulers  of  darkness,  a  spirit  of  inquiry 
progressing  among  them  that  will  surely  break  forth 
like  waters  long  dammed.    O  Lord,  hasten  the  day  !" 

Many  similar  facts  in  several  parts  of  the  kingdom 
afford  gratifying  proofs  that  the  labors  and  writing  of 
tliis  indefatigable  servant  of  the  Most  High  tended,  in 
no  small  degree,  to  promote  the  extraordinary  move- 
ment then  in  the  religious  world.  In  Queens  county 
he  met  an  intelligent  young  man  who  had  abandoned 
Popery.  He  told  Mr.  Ouseley  that  when  he  first  met 
some  of  his  tracts  he  was  astonished  beyond  measure. 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtTSELET.  805 


He  procured  more  of  them,  and  his  mind,  by  their 
means,  became  enlightened  in  the  truths  of  Christi- 
anity. 

During  the  same  tour  through  that  county,  he  was 
invited  to  tea  by  an  amiable  and  pious  clergyman  of 
the  Established  Church,  who  hiformed  him  that  it  was 
owing  to  Ml-.  Ouseley's  conversation  with  liim,  when 
he  was  a  little  boy  in  his  father's  house,  that  he  was  led 
to  a  knowledge  of  religion  ;  that  his  advice  never  left 
his  mind,  and  that  it  terminated  in  his  obtaining  peace 
with  God  through  Jesus  Christ. 

He  met  also  an  officer  in  Kings  countj',  who  told 
him  that  some  short  time  before  he  was  in  a  town  in 
the  county  of  Galway  where  several  persons  were 
reading  their  recantation,  and  that  he  remarked  among 
the  rest  a  gentleman,  whose  appearance  excited  his 
surprise.  He  was  prompted  by  curiosity  to  Inquire 
of  him  how  he  had  become  enlightened.  He  replied, 
'•  I  shall  tell  you  freely.  I  was  educated  for  the  priest- 
hood, and  became  the  editor  of  a  newspaper.  ]\Ir. 
Ouseley  came  into  the  town,  and  put  an  article  into 
the  Protestant  paper  against  my  religion,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  transubstantiation.  I  deemed  it  my  duty  to 
reply  to  him,  and  upset  his  arguments  ;  but  in  vain,  for 
he  upset  me,  and  I  then  saw  that  my  foundation  was 
altogether  false." 

"\Vlien  in  the  countv-  of  Kerry,  in  1826,  Mr.  Ouseley 
put  an  article  in  the  Kerry  Evening  Post,  demonstrating 
that  no  Protestant  or  Test  Act  could  possibly  more  de- 
nounce the  dogmas  of  Rome,  which  the  priests  are 
bound  to  teach,  than  they  are  themselves  sworn  on 
the  Gospels  to  do.  He  boldly  challenged  a  disproof  ■ 
of  his  statements.  A  Roman  Catholic  collegian  having 
•20 


306        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


read  it,  came  to  hear  him  preach  three  times ;  told  him 
he  had  read  the  article,  and  deemed  it  conclusive. 
Shortly  after,  he  openly  read  his  recantation  in  the 
Established  Church,  wrote  five  letters  in  vindication 
of  his  change,  and  soon  became  a  teacher  of  the  truth 
to  the  peasantry  around  him. 

Wheresoever  indications  of  the  success  of  the  gospel 
■were  witnessed,  Mr.  Ouseley  was  found  at  his  post,  en- 
couraging by  his  presence  those  engaged  in  the  work, 
and  promoting  and  fostering  the  good  in  the  new  con- 
verts. In  jMunster  and  Ulster  he  rejoiced  to  witness 
the  triumphs  of  divine  ti-uth ;  and  generally  in  the 
places  where  he  visited  he  was  hailed  by  the  nobility, 
clergy,  and  gentry,  and  encouraged  in  his  important 
labors. 

Late  in  the  year  1825,  a  singula!"  movement  com- 
menced in  the  part  of  the  country  where  the  peasantry 
had  been  reading,  and  hearing  road,  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures in  the  Irish  language ;  which  was  followed  up  in 
subsequent  years;  and  is  too  important  to  be  over- 
looked in  this  place.  In  the  month  of  December  a 
number  of  the  masters  and  scholars  in  the  distiict  of 
King's  Court  entered  into  a  series  of  resolutions,  to 
which,  in  a  short  time,  three  hundred  and  seventy-five 
signatures  of  persons,  all  Roman  Catholics,  were  volun- 
tarily affixed.  We  shall  give  an  extract  from  them  as 
follows : — 

"  We,  the  Roman  Catholic  masters  and  scholars,  un- 
der the  Irish  Society,  whose  names,  with  our  respective 
residences,  parishes,  and  post-towns,  are  hereunto  an- 
nexed, desire  to  express,  on  behalf  of  ourselve  ,  and 
upward  of  five  thousand  of  our  adult  fellow-brethren 
who  in  this  district  alone  are  in  connection  with  the 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY,  307 


Irish  Society,  our  bumble  but  conscientious  and  heart- 
felt sentiments  with  regard  to  this  invaluable  institution, 
and  our  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in  our  venerated  and 
beloved  tongue. 

"  1st.  Resolved,  That,  belie\-ing  the  sacred  Scriptui-es 
to  be  the  source  of  all  spiritual  knowledge,  and  the 
proper  basis  of  all  moral  instruction,  we  consider  that 
the  want  of  them  in  our  native  language  has  been  to 
us  and  our  forefathei-s,  for  a  long  period,  the  greatest 
e\'i\ ;  and  that  the  Irish  Society,  by  their  schools,  and 
providing  for  us  the  Scriptures  in  the  language  we 
understand,  have  given  to  us  an  inestimable  gift,  and 
to  Ireland  the  noblest  boon  she  ever  received." 

•'  5th.  Resolved,  That  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
of  which  we  are  members,  hath  never,  b)'  her  councils 
nor  her  spiritual  head,  denied  the  Scriptures  to  those 
who  read  them  with  sincerity  ;  .  .  .  .  and  that,  finally, 
wc  consider  that  the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is 
our  right  as  men,  our  duty  as  Christians,  and  our  pri- 
vilege as  Roman  Catholics." 

These  resolutions  were  presented  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  society,  by  a  deputation  from  the  sub- 
scribers, on  the  17th  of  March,  1826. 

Another  document,  signed  by  three  thousand  two 
hundred  and  twenty -one  Roman  Catholics,  from  the 
five  counties  around  King's  Court,  was  subsequently 
pi-esented  in  like  manner,  containing  the  following  re- 
markable paragraph  : — 

"  We  can  assure  the  committee  of  the  Irish  Society, 
we  can  assure  his  majesty's  government,  that  the  Irish 
peasanti-y  are  most  anxious  for  Scriptural  knowledge 
for  themselves  and  their  children.  There  are  thou- 
sands of  Roman  Catholics,  whose  cry  can  never  reach 


308       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


the  British  senate,  who  dare  not  breathe  a  word  against 
the  tyranny  that  oppresses  them ;  who,  from  sincere  love 
for  Scriptural  education,  in  defiance  of  every  species 
of  hostility,  continue  to  send  their  children  to  Bible 
schools.  It  is  painful  to  state  that  persecutions  inva- 
riably, and  martyrdoms  not  a  few,  have  followed  from 
all  this  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  there  have  been  great 
moral  results— symptoms  of  a  regeneration  which  the 
murderer  and  the  incendiary  will  never  be  enabled  to 
prevent." 

In  a  document  put  forth  in  1838,  relative  to  the 
same  country,  the  foUoiviug  cheering  facts  are  stated  : — 
"  Forty  thousand  persons,  at  the  least,  are  taught  to 
read  the  Irish  Scriptures  in  this  district;  and  more 
than  double  that  number  brought  within  its  constant 
hearing  in  the  cabin." — Mason's  Life  o  f  Bedell. 

Mr.  Ouseley,  in  the  month  of  Febniary,  after  this 
interesting  movement  had  commenced,  was  found  in  the 
street  of  King's  Court,  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  had  a 
most  delightful  opportunity  of  preaching  in  Irish  to 
multitudes  as  they  came  out  of  chapel.  Indications  of 
satisfaction  were  apparent  among  the  crowds  which 
surrounded  him,  while  he  impressed  on  their  minds  the 
absolute  need  of  knowing  and  practicing  the  rehgion 
which  our  Lord  taught  the  virgin  mother  and  the  apos- 
tles, and  which  he  commanded  to  be  preached  to  all 
men,  to  the  end  of  the  world ;  nor  could  the  presence 
of  the  priest  deter  them  from  hearing  the  gospel  truths 
with  which  they  were  so  delighted.  He  also  congratu- 
lated the  country  that  the  pure  religion  of  Christ  was 
now  on  the  eve  of  spreading  among  them ;  that  it  was 
with  joy  he  informed  them  that  more  than  five  thou- 
sand of  the  people  in  that  district  had  nobly  entered 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  309 


into  resolutions  that  they  would  read  the  sacred  Scrip- 
tures in  the  Irish  tongue,  and  practice  them,  in  spite 
of  everj'  opposition.  He  had  the  satisfaction  of  hear- 
ing from  one  of  the  Irish  readers  the  following  gratify- 
ing testimony: — "It  was  by  reading  your  book  that 
Popery  was  driven  out  of  uie."' 

Shortly  after  this  he  went  to  Cavan,  where  the  work 
of  reformation  was  advancing  with  great  vigor;  and 
although  he  thought  there  were  many  crude  elements 
still  to  be  wrought  upon,  yet  he  regarded  it  as  a  great 
work,  the  result  of  the  influence  of  divine  truth,  and 
pregnant  \nth  good  to  the  interests  of  religion,  especi- 
ally among  the  rising  generation,  who  would  be  edu- 
cated in  Scriptural  schools,  and  have  inculcated  upon 
them  the  truths  and  morals  of  Christianity.  "  I  was," 
he  remarks,  "  in  the  church  of  Cavan  yesterday ;  and 
had  at  length  the  high  satisfaction  to  see  with  my  own 
eyes  the  Homanists  breaking  their  chains,  and  twenty 
of  them  together  reading  their  renunciation  of  Popish 
slavery.  This  makes  ninety  in  all,  in  these  few  weeks 
past ;  and  many  more  are  on  the  inquirj-.  '  The  fields 
are,'  thank  God,  '  white  to  harvest.' " 

He  about  this  time  visited  the  earl  of  Farnham  re- 
peatedly, and  was  kindly  received  by  the  noble  family, 
and  by  the  clergj-  who  visited  there.  The  countess  of 
Farnham,  especially,  was  xery  marked  in  her  courtesy 
and  kindness  to  Mr.  Ouseley.  He  says :  "  I  break- 
fasted on  two  mornings  at  Lord  Farnham's,  and  was 
very  much  pleased  with  everj-thing  I  saw.  I  was  at 
prayers  each  time,  in  their  neat  chapel.  The  clergy 
both  here  and  in  Cavan  are  pious,  amiable,  and  zeal- 
ous men,  and  were  quite  affectionate  to  me.  They  are 
all  well  pleased  with  my  little  exertions  in  the  streets, 


310         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OLSELET. 


and  also  with  my  writings."  Lady  Farnham,  wHo  might 
have  been  said  to  be  the  soul  of  the  religious  move- 
ment, regarded  Old  Christianity  as  a  very  important 
work,  in  its  influence  on  the  reformation  which  was 
then  going  forward,  and  anxiously  wshed  for  its  more 
general  circulation  ;  and  that  she  might  gratuitously 
disti-ibute  it,  requested  liberty  to  reprint  it  at  her  own 
expense.  To  this,  as  he  had  some  important  additions 
to  make  to  the  work,  Mr.  Ouseley  did  not  consent. 

In  a  letter  from  an  intelligent  and  pious  gentleman, 
there  is  further  evidence  given  of  the  favorable  opinions 
entertained  in  high  quarters  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  labors 
and  writings.  I  shall  give  an  extract  of  it : — "  I  feel 
sincere  delight  in  having  to  inform  j'ou  that,  in  the 
course  of  the  present  month,  nearly  fifty  Roman  Ca- 
tholics have  renounced  the  errors  of  Popery,  and  read 
their  recantation  publicly  in  Cavan  Church,  and  many 
more  seem  inclined  to  follow  their  example.  I  have 
conversed  with  most  of  them ;  and,  from  what  they  told 
me,  I  think  your  presence  among  us  would  be  very 
desirable  ;  and  I  beg,  if  possible,  you  will  pay  us  a  visit. 
I  think  this  is  the  place  in  which  you  would  be  most 
useful.  The  trammels  of  bigotry  are  falling  off,  and  we 
have  hopes  of  good  days  yet.  The  Church  clergy 
here  are  truly  pious  men  ;  and  I  have  heard  them  wish- 
ing that  God  would  put  it  into  the  heart  of  his  old  ser- 
vant Gideon  to  visit  the  county  of  Cavan  once  more. 
I  now  charge  you,  by  your  hate  to  Popery  and  the 
love  you  have  for  Papists,  (for  they  say  you  love  them,) 
that  you  come,  if  health  permit,  (and  I  pray  the  Lord 
it  may,)  and  let  the  people  here  once  more  have  a 
faithful  gospel  sermon.  Come  and  follow  up  the  good 
work :  do  not  disappoint  us.    Lady  Farnham  gave 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  311 


away  a  good  many  copies  of  your  Old  Christianity,  and 
your  other  tracts,  to  the  converts.  Bring  a  supply 
with  you." 

In  another  letter,  Mr.  Ouseley  states  that  he  had 
just  returned  from  Cavan,  and  that  "forty-three  more 
have  conformed  to  Protestantism  ;  and  it  is  considered 
that  these  are  a  few  drops  before  a  great  shower  !  I 
trust  this  beginning  is  the  fruit  of  divine  light,  just 
dawning  on  the  long  enslaved  mind.  O  that  it  may 
be  as  the  morning  light,  shining  more  and  more  to  the 
perfect  day !  There  appears  to  be  a  movement  of 
men's  minds,  in  some  degree,  all  over  the  country. 
Thank  God,  that  before  my  head  has  been  laid  in  the 
dust,  my  eyes  already  begin  to  see  what  my  heart  has 
been  so  many  years  longing  after,  and  all  my  powers 
have  been  laboring  to  effect.  Yes,  I  still  feel  that  God 
has  called  me  to  attend  to  my  Roman  Catholic  fellow- 
men  in  a  special  manner.  This  has  often  been  before 
my  eyes,  and  laid  upon  my  heart.  The  Lord  can  do 
a  great  work  by  very  inferior  instruments.  He  can 
work,  and  who  can  let  it  ?" 

In  one  county  in  the  south,  at  least  thirty  families 
received  the  truth,  and  renounced  their  former  errors. 
And  in  another,  schools  were  established  for  the  in- 
struction of  the  children  of  the  poor,  as  well  as  for 
teaching  adults  to  read  the  Scriptures  in  the  Irish 
tongue.  "  What,"  he  exclaims,  "  can  be  more  cheer- 
ing to  everj'  pious  and  benevolent  heart,  than  to  hear 
of  poor  mortals  who  have  long  lain  in  darkness  and  the 
shadow  of  death,  now  thirsting  for  the  pure  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ !"  He  had  breakfasted  with  an  excellent 
gentleman  and  lady  in  the  latter  place,  who  had  been 
devoting  themselves  to  tliis  hallowed  work.    This  gen- 


312         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELElf. 


tleman  had  given  a  copy  of  Old  Christianity  to  an  in- 
telligent young  man,  a  Roman  Catholic,  who,  after  he 
had  read  it  carefully,  brought  it  back,  and  laying  it  on 
the  table,  cried  out,  "  Popery  is  done  I  for  that  book 
will  jiever  be  answered :  no,  never."  This  young  man 
soon  became  zealous  in  forwarding  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Irish  language. 

During  the  sev  eral  routes  which  he  took  this  year, 
his  public  discourses  were,  as  usual,  characterized  by 
some  of  his  striking  peculiarities  in  an  argument,  in 
exposing  the  fallacies  of  Rome ;  some  two  or  three  of 
which  I  shall  here  relate.  In  explaining  our  Lord's 
reproof  to  Peter,  (Matt,  xvi,  23,)  while  preaching  to  a 
mixed  multitude  in  the  market  of  Clones,  he  shows  the 
madness  of  attempting  to  correct  the  Son  of  God,  and 
that  the  person  who  teaches  any  doctrine  but  that  taught 
by  Christ  himself,  even  the  gospel,  is  immediately  guilty 
of  this  crime  and  madness.  He  adds,  "  If  St.  Peter  was 
not  spared,  but  was  called  '  Satan,'  an  offense,  &c., 
for  his  temerity,  evei7  other  person  who  is  thus  foolish 
and  guilty,  whether  he  be  from  England,  France,  Italy, 
&c.,  comes  under  the  same  condemnation.  Many  doc- 
trines not  in  the  gospel,  nor,  therefore,  ever  taught  by 
Christ,  have  come  to  Ireland  from  the  pope  to  his 
clergy  here,  who  have  carefully  taught  them  to  the 
people."  He  then  mentions  some  of  them — the  sacri- 
fice of  the  mass,  adoration  of  the  wafer  or  eucharist, 
&c.,  &c.  "  Every  one  of  these,"  he  says,  "  pours  in- 
stant contempt  on  Christ,  and  ruin  on  the  followers  of 
them.  For  if  they  are  right,  Christ  must  have  been 
wrong  in  not  teaching  them.  And  if  such  doctrines  be 
wrong,  they  who  teach  and  practice  them  must  be  ruined 
for  ever."   One  of  his  congregation  was  heard  to  say, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  313 


"  Surely  he  is  not  far  wrong,"  adding  a  curse ;  another 
Romanist  exclaimed,  "  Tlie  priests  are  the  greatest 
rogues  unhanged !" 

In  a  tour  that  occupied  twenty-two  days  he  preached 
twenty  days  successively  in  both  streets  and  houses ; 
mostly  three  times  a  day,  and  some  days  even  four  or 
five  times.  And  yet,  rapid  as  was  his  course,  his  ex- 
hibitions of  divine  truth  in  the  markets  and  fairs  were 
elaborate  and  comprehensive,  and  sometimes  marked 
with  ch:iracteristic  incidents.  In  the  market  of  Bally- 
jamesdufi",  while  discoursing  to  a  great  crowd  on  Gal, 
i,  8,  9,  "But  though  we,  or  an  angel  from  heaven, 
preach  any  other  gospel,"  &c.,  he  stated  that  the  apostle 
sets  four  sorts  of  guides  before  us — the  gospel,  apostles, 
angels,  and  pastors — of  wliich  we  must,  at  our  peril, 
choose  one  only  as  our  infalUhle  standard,  namely,  the 
gospel :  and  that  whoever  sets  up  any  guide  or  stand- 
ard varying  from  this  is  accursed  of  God,  as  shall  all 
be  who  dare  follow  him.  Deep  attention  sat  on  every 
brow  in  the  mixed  multitude.  It  was  mentioned  to 
liim  as  he  ended,  that  one  in  the  congregation  wished 
to  look  at  his  Testament.  It  was  the  Rhemish  version. 
He  was  a  schoolmaster  who  expressed  the  wish.  Mr. 
O.  handed  it;  he  looked  over  part  of  it,  and  then 
marked  Matt,  vi,  5,  "  And  when  thou  prayest,  be  not 
as  the  hypocrites ;  for  they  love  to  pray  standing  in 
the  synagogues,  and  in  the  corners  of  the  streets." 
He  expressed  his  desire  that  !Mr.  O.  would  read  it  to 
the  people.  This  he  did;  while  they  heard  with 
breathless  attention  and  a  general  smile.  Then  he 
turned  to  chap,  v,  9,  and  read  to  them,  "Let  your 
light  shine  before  men,"  &c.  He  then  marked  Acts 
xvii,  17,  and,  handing  back  the  book,  requested  him 


314         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


to  read  aloud, — "  Therefore  disputed  he  (Paul)  in  the 
market  daily  -with  them  that  met  with  him."  The 
schoolmaster  exclaimed,  "  I  declare,  sir,  here  is  a  con- 
tradiction." "  What !"  said  Mr.  O.,  "  a  contradiction 
in  your  own  book  ?  No,  my  dear  fellow,  the  contra- 
diction is  in  your  head,  not  in  the  book.  The  doing 
good  works  in  secret  has  regard  to  motive — that  of 
pleasing  God  with  a  single  eye ;  the  command  to  let 
them  appear  before  men,  as  did  Paul,  is  for  an  example 
to  men  to  lead  them  to  good."  "  Sir,"  the  man  replied, 
"  I  am  very  thankful  to  you ;  I  never  understood 
this  before."  The  crowd  dispersed,  apparently  well 
pleased. 

The  next  day  he  went  off  to  another  town,  nineteen 
miles  distant,  and  rode  into  the  market,  with  his  black 
cap  on  and  his  Bible  in  his  hand.  He  was  soon  sur- 
rounded by  the  greater  part  of  the  people  of  the  mar- 
ket, with  several  of  the  clergymen  of  the  Established 
Church  behind  him  at  a  large  window.  After  singing 
in  English  and  Irish,  he  read  his  text  from  the  Rliemish 
version,  Mark  vii,  7, — "  In  vain  do  they  worship  me, 
teaching  doctrines  and  precepts  of  men."  He  remark- 
ed,— "  Should  the  servant  of  an  eminent  physician 
either  mix  up  his  own  stuff  for  the  patients,  or  mingle 
it  with  good  medicine  sent  by  his  master,  would  not 
this  be  a  sure  way  to  kill  the  patients  ?  But  if  this  be 
counted  the  blackest  of  crimes,  how  hideous,  and  how 
great,  must  be  the  crime  of  those  teachers  who  thus  act 
in  giving  human  inventions  in  place  of  God's  gospel, 
as  did  those  hypocritical  Jewish  teachers,  and  as  is 
openly  done  now  in  this  our  day !"  After  some  other  ob- 
servations, an  old  gray-headed  man  in-the  crowd  cried 
out,  "  But  who  does  it,  sia-  ?"    "  I  shall  soon  tell  you, 


MEMOUIAI,  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  315 


my  old  brother,"  said  Mr.  O.  "No  one  here,  or  in 
Ireland,  can  believe  that  God  was  wrong  when  he  gave 
the  ten  commandments  to  be  observed  by  his  people 
for  ever.  Xor  cm  any  believe  that  Christ  delivered 
anything  wrong  in  the  gospel.  Hence,  none  can  allow 
that  any  alteration  should  be  made,  by  man  or  angel, 
in  these  commandments  or  in  the  gospel  for  ever."  He 
then  said,  "  In  all  this,  ye  all  perfectly  agree  with  me, 
and  that  if  any  be  found  guilty  of  such  alteration,  he 
must  be  desperately  wicked  indeed."  After  showing 
many  flagrant  and  impious  changes  made  by  the  pope 
and  his  clergy,  both  in  the  law  and  the  gospel,  he  ex- 
claimed, "  Here,  then,  my  good  old  man,  are  instances, 
which  defy  disproof,  of  wickedly  teaching  doctrines 
and  precepts  of  men  for  those  of  God."  Every  one 
was  silent  as  death,  and  all  devoutly  joined,  while  he 
concluded  with  prayer.  He  then  published,  that  on 
the  next  Friday  he  would  preach  in  the  market  of 
Arva,  on, — '•  Beware  of  false  prophets."  Slany  flocked 
to  hear ;  and,  afterward,  when  they  were  talking  to- 
gether of  the  sermon,  one  exclaimed,  "  Was  there  no 
one  to  oppose  him  ?"  "  Oppose  him,  you  fool !"  said 
another ;  "  why  the  devil  could  not  beat  him."  "  No, 
thank  God,"  said  Mr.  Ouseley,  "I  rejoice  to  reply, 
for  greater  is  he  that  is  for  me." 

The  day  before,  while  he  was  preaching  in  another 
town,  and  contrasting  the  true  and  false  prophets,  a 
woman  came  up  to  her  husband,  crying  out  to  him, 
"  Wliat  are  you  doing  here,  listening  to  that  man  ; 
don't  you  know  how  it  will  be  ?"  "  Hold  your  tongue, 
woman,"  said  the  husband;  "why,  I  am  listening  to 
the  truth,  if  ever  truth  was  told  ;  and  stand  you  here, 
and  hearken  to  it  too."    It  may,  indeed,  be  asked,  how 


316       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


is  it  possible  that  such  faithful  and  constant  preaching 
of  the  gospel  could  be  otherwise  than  productive  of  the 
most  beneficial  effects,  and  in  a  high  degree  successful 
in  the  reformation  of  our  country  from  Popish  error  to 
the  pure  religion  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ  ?  In  a  few  days  after  the  above,  Mr.  Ouseley 
came  to  a  place  on  the  borders  of  the  county  of  Mcath, 
where  five  hundred  Roman  Catholicshad  become  united 
to  the  Established  Church;  and,  notwithstanding  all 
the  efforts  made  to  bring  them  back,  they,  with  few 
exceptions,  remained  firmly  attached  to  the  truth  which 
they  had  joyfully  received. 

Some  time  after  this  he  again  visited  King's  Court, 
and  preached  to  great  numbers  of  Roman  Catholics, 
among  whom  were  some  of  the  masters  who  taught  the 
people  to  read  the  Irish  Scriptures.  "  Against  this 
class  of  persons,"  Mr.  Ouseley  remarks,  "  the  priests 
are  greatly  enraged ;  but  it  is  all  in  vain,  for  they  are 
daily  on  the  increase."  Here  his  discourse  was  on 
"  the  ancient  faith."  Great  attention  and  feeling  were 
manifested  by  those  who  heard.  He  scattered  some 
of  his  tracts  too,  which  contained  his  letters  to  Dr. 
Doyle  and  priest  Walsh,  in  which  he  proves  that  the 
doctrines  of  Rome  are  mere  fabrications  of  the  Papacy. 

One  of  those  who  heard  him  that  evening  came  next 
morning  to  his  lodgings,  under  great  emotion,  and  with 
tears  in  his  eyes.  He  told  him  he  had  had  a  sleepless 
night ;  and  that  he  and  all  the  Romanists  designed  to 
follow  no  other  faith  than  the  faith  of  God,  and  Jesus 
Christ — that  is,  the  ten  commandments  and  the  gospel. 
But,  sighing  heavily,  he  said,  "  God  help  us  !  what  are 
we  taught  ?"  A  Roman  Catholic  female  also,  who  had 
heard  him  on  that  occasion,  on  her  return  said  to  her 


UEHOBIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  317 


husband,  "  I  never  understood  mj  religion  before,  and 
with  the  mass  I  have  done  for  ever  !" 

In  another  place  he  had  preached  to  great  nimibers 
of  Roman  Catholics,  who  flocked  to  hear ;  they  seemed 
very  much  agitated  at  first,  at  bearing  their  system  of 
faith  exposed.  They  thought,  alternately,  that  their 
religion  was  right,  and  his  arguments  right ;  and  they 
became  sadly  perplexed ;  but  the  result  was,  they  as- 
sembled in  groups,  betook  themselves  to  the  searching 
of  the  Scriptures,  and,  notwithstanding  all  the  menaces 
of  the  priest,  when  he  came  again,  they  ran  in  multi- 
tudes to  hear  him.  They  hearkened  with  breathless 
attention;  and  when  depaiting  from  the  place  they 
were  heard  to  say  one  to  another,  "  God  bless  him,  he 
says  notliing  but  the  truth." 

In  Omagh  the  priest  had  treated  him  not  very  cere- 
moniously, calling  him  by  many  opprobrious  names,  on 
a  late  occasion ;  but  he  now  returned  to  that  town, 
and  his  congregations  were  crowded.  A  reformation 
meeting  was  about  to  be  held  in  the  town,  and  he  wag 
prevailed  upon  to  remain  a  day,  and  take  a  part  in  the 
discussion.  The  court-house  was  overflowed  with  all 
ranks  during  the  time  of  the  meeting,  who  manifested 
great  interest  in  the  debate.  Three  priests  came  for- 
ward for  the  purpose  of  protesting  against  the  pro- 
ceedings. They  were  invited  to  the  platform,  and  the 
one  who  had  been  so  liberal  in  his  abuse  of  Mr.  Ouse- 
ley  was  the  fii-st  who  stood  up  to  speak  in  reply  to  one 
of  the  clergj-men.  Mr.  O.  in  turn  was  called  on  to 
answer  his  argiunents.  He  spoke  for  forty-five  minutes. 
Deep  silence  pervaded  the  assembly,  while  he  in  his 
own  forcible  manner  argued  first,  that  all  were  agreed  ^ 
that  Christ  taught  the  trufi  way  to  heaven,  and  that 


318        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OCSELEY. 


every  doctrine  opposed  to  his  gospel  must  necessarily 
be  false.  He  then  proved  that  extreme  unction,  sac- 
rifice of  the  mass,  worship  of  the  host,  piirgator}',  tran- 
substautiation,  &c.,  were  opposed  to  the  gospel,  and 
of  consequence  could  not  be  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ.  The  priest  who  followed  him  seemed  electri- 
fied, knew  not  where  to  begin,  and  under  the  greatest 
embarrassment  stammered  out  something  foreign  from 
the  argument,  saying, "  I  must  turn  to  another  subject." 
While  Mr.  O.  took  their  whole  system  to  pieces  there 
was  not  the  slightest  dissatisfaction  evinced,  either  by 
the  Romish  clergy  or  people. 

In  the  spring  of  1828  he  was  invited  to  take  a  part 
in  the  missionary  anniversary  services,  in  the  principal 
towns  in  Lancashire  and  Yorkshire ;  and  did  not  fail 
to  place  before  the  friends  of  religion  in  England  the 
evils  by  which  his  poor  country  was  ruined. 

Early  in  January  of  that  year  it  was  very  gratifying 
to  me  to  receive  a  visit  from  my  old  friend,  in  Belfast, 
where  I  was  then  stationed.  We  had  the  privilege  of 
his  presence  for  a  week,  to  the  great  edification  of  the 
crowds  which  attended  his  ministry.  During  his  stay 
in  Belfast  he  published  several  important  articles  in 
the  Protestant  Guardian  newspaper.  We  should  pro- 
bably have  been  favored  with  a  more  protracted  visit, 
but  that  the  Rev.  Henry  Deery  having  met  with  a 
severe  accident,  he  hastened  to  his  assistance. 

His  tour  at  this  time  occupied  fifty-two  days,  and 
extended  through  Leinster  and  the  north.  "V^Tierever 
he  went  he  was  cordially  received  and  generously 
treated  by  gentry,  clergy,  and  nobility ;  and  liis  visits 
and  laboi-s  were  greatly  acknowledged  by  the  great 
Head  of  the  church  in  every  place.    On  his  return  to 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtJSELET. 


319 


Dublin,  January  30th,  he  found  Mrs.  Ouseley  had 
been  seriously  ill ;  but,  lest  he  should  be  interrupted  in 
his  work,  she  had  not  apprised  him  of  her  indisposition. 
When  he  reached  home,  happily  she  was  convalescent. 

Through  the  following  years  he  passed  on  his  hal- 
lowed way  with  unabated  ardor,  and  with  a  strength 
of  body  and  energy  of  mind  not  only  unimpaired,  but 
seeming  to  increase  with  his  years.  During  the  yeai* 
ending  June,  1830,  Mr.  Ouseley  traveled  as  extensive- 
ly, and  preached  as  frequently,  it  would  appear,  as  in 
any  period  of  his  laborious  life.  He  visited  every  one 
of  the  four  provinces,  and  preached  at  least  a  thousand 
sermons.  Ou  the  wings  of  faith  and  love,  he  flew 
from  place  to  place,  and  laid  hold  on  every  occasion  to 
expose  error,  and  promote  the  interest  of  the  gospel ; 
attacking  falsehood  in  eveiy  form,  and  inviting  sin- 
ners to  embrace  the  saving  truths  of  Christianity.  A 
friai-,  of  the  name  of  Brennan,  affected  some  time  be- 
fore this  to  conform  to  the  Established  Church  ;  but 
when  Air.  Ouseley  reached  Dundalk,  in  the  winter  of 
that  year,  this  person  had  just  published  a  penitential 
address  to  the  Roman  Catholics,  very  elaborate,  and 
highly  calculated  to  lull  unsuspecting  Protestants,  and 
to  ensnare  the  ignorant.  He  defended  seven  of  his 
doctrines,  and,  as  it  were,  with  many  tears,  and  ap- 
peals to  God  for  his  sincerity !  a  thing  quite  common 
on  such  occasions.  Mr.  Ouseley  gave  this  artful  piece 
an  able  reply ;  and  demonstrated  that  his  seven  doc- 
trines were  in  opposition  to  the  gospel,  and  therefore 
seven  falsehoods ;  but  that  the  penitent  friar  believed 
neither  his  doctrines  nor  his  arguments  in  support  of 
them.  And  although  he  urged  on  friar  Brennan  and 
the  priests  to  reply,  if  possible,  no  answer  appeared. 


320        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


Occasion  was  given  this  year  to  Mr.  Ouseley  to  take 
up  his  pen  in  defense  of  his  views  on  another  subject, 
by  a  clergyman  of  the  Establishment,  in  the  county  of 
Fermanagh,  who  violently  assailed  the  doctrines  and 
discipline  of  the  Methodists  as  the  worst  of  heresies. 
Great  anxiety  was  manifested  among  the  people  on 
every  hand,  that  Mr.  Ouseley,  when  he  came  round  to 
the  neighborhood,  would  write  something  in  reply. 
Many  flocked  to  hear  him  preach ;  and  very  gracious 
effects  were  apparent  in  the  crowds  assembled  in  the 
market^house  of  Maguire's  Bridge,  near  the  scene  of 
controversy.  He  believed  that  his  opponent  and  those 
who  united  with  him  were  conscientious  Christian 
men,  and  therefore  he  treated  their  names  with  great 
respect,  and  their  subject  with  moderation,  while  he 
strongly  vindicated  what  he  conceived  to  be  the  doc- 
trines of  the  gospel.  This  was  one  of  his  happiest 
efforts  :  he  conducted  the  controversy  in  a  ti'uly  Chris- 
tian spirit,  and  with  an  acuteness  and  strength  of  argu- 
ment which  were  seldom  surpassed  by  him.  His  re- 
marks soon  appeared  in  a  pamphlet,  but  afterward 
assumed  the  form  of  a  book,  which  exhibits  no  in- 
considerable degi'ce  of  research  on  the  subject,  and  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  most  eminent  divines 
of  the  English  Church. 

The  grand  object  of  his  mission,  however,  was  not 
forgotten.  He  again  visited  the  country  where  the 
work  of  reformation  had  been  in  progress  for  years, 
and  he  was  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  work.  Great  numbers,  in  several  parts 
of  the  coimtry,  had  joimjd  the  ranks  of  Protestantism, 
and  remained  faithful.  "  The  seed,"  he  remarks,  "  is 
sown  very  extensively  ;  and  let  us  only  patiently  wait 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  321 


in  faith  and  prayer,  and  God,  even  our  own  God,  will 
give  us  to  see  great  things.  Only  let  us  go  on,  and  the 
results  will  be  glorious." 

The  conversion  of  the  Hon.  and  Kev.  G.  Spencer 
had  now  made  a  great  noise.  Mr.  Ouseley  met  an  ac- 
count of  it  in  Watei-ford,  and  penned  an  immediate 
repl}',  in  which  he  exhibited  the  gross  self-contradic- 
tions of  the  Papal  doctrines,  and  proved  "that  this  con- 
version must  have  been  the  result  of  mental  defect  in 
taking  these  self-contradictions  for  the  gospel.  In 
Tralee,  the  priest,  Dr.  j\l'Enerny,  had  threatened  to 
denounce  any  of  his  flock  who  should  go  to  hear  Mr. 
Ouseley  preach ;  who  immediately  addressed  a  letter  to 
him,  which  appeared  in  the  Kerry  Post,  demonstrating 
that  in  thus  opposing  the  truth  he  set  himself  against 
the  word  of  God,  which  commands  us  to  "  prove  all 
things."  It  was  thus  he  proceeded  from  year  to  year, 
seizing  every  opportunity,  both  by  preaching  and 
writing,  to  confront  error  and  spread  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth  in  every  place. 

In  one  of  his  toiu-s  this  year  he  met  with  a  person 
to  whom  his  conversation  and  ministry,  on  a  former 
occasion,  had  been  made  a  great  blessing.  He  had 
now  the  happiness  of  witnessing  the  gracious  fruits 
arising  from  the  seed  sown  two  years  before.  The 
pei-son  was  a  young  woman,  who  had  been  a  most 
bigoted  Roman  Catholic,  and  who,  a  short  time  before 
Mr.  Ouseley  first  saw  her,  had  expressed  herself  in 
very  strong  language  on  the  subject  of  the  Protestant 
religion,  for  which  she  entertained  a  deep-rooted- hati-ed 
and  horror.  She  said  she  would  rather  be  damned 
than  become  a  Protestant.  She  was  otherwise  a  very 
interesting  person.  Mr.  Ouseley  heard  of  her,  sought 
21. 


322         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


an  interview  with  her,  and  she  ventured  to  enter  into 
conversation  with  him.  He  asked  her,  "  Biddy,  would 
you  not  rather  have  one  half  hour's  conversation  with 
Jesus  Christ,  who  is  to  judge  you,  were  it  possible,  than 
if  al^  the  clergy  on  earth — pope,  piiests,  preachers,  &c. 
■ — were  to  talk  to  you  till  doomsday  ?"  She  answered, 
"  Surely  I  would."  "  But  had  he  so  conversed  with 
you,  would  you  not  be  afraid  of  forgetting  any  of  it; 
and  would  you  not,  on  your  knees,  beg  of  him  to  give 
it  to  you  in  writing  ?"  "  Certainly  I  would."  "  Now 
if  he  gave  you  that  writing,"  he  remarked,  "  would  you 
not  put  it  in  your  very  bosom,  and  read  it  night  and 
day,  and  prefer  it  to  all  the  teachers  on  earth,  nor  part 
with  it  on  any  account  whatever  ?"  "  All  this  is  true, 
sir :  I  most  certainly  would  not  part  with  it."  He  re- 
joined, "  Then,  Biddy,  you  have  this  very  thing  in 
this  house — the  New  Testament.  For  if  Jesus  Christ 
were  now  to  come,  having  given  the  gospel  in  infinite 
perfection,  (and  the  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
Testaments  are  in  substance  the  same,)  he  would  in  no 
wise  alter  that  gospel.  Hence  you  have  only  to  read 
and  obey  it,  and  all  shall  be  well.  But  there  is  a  prac- 
tice in  your  religion  that  Christ  never  taught :  that  is, 
private  confession."  He  then  in  a  most  ingenious  man- 
ner exjDlained  the  passage  contained  in  John  viii,  .3-11 ; 
"  when,"  as  he  expressed  it,  "a  certain  wicked  woman 
was  brought  into  the  congregation,  before  our  Saviour, 
and  he  said, '  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee  :  go,  and  sin 
no  more.'  You  see,  Biddy,"  he  continued,  "  Christ  did 
not  confess  her,  nor  lay  penance  on  her.  Now,  had  he 
found  an  apostle  confessing  a  woman,  and  laying  pen- 
ance on  her,  contrary  to  this  example,  what  would  be- 
come of  such  an  apostle,  unless  he  promised  never  to  do 


MEMORIAL  Ol-  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  323 


SO  again  ?  Or  if  lie  met  you,  my  child,  going  to  such 
confession,  and  should  say  to  you,  '  Did  I  ever  teach 
the  like :  and  are  you  going  to  tell  the  world  I  was 
wrong  ?'  what  would  you  answer  ?  Surely  you  would 
say,  '  Lord,  I  will  never  go  to  confession  again.'"  This 
was  too  powerful  to  be  resisted  :  her  eyes  became  suf- 
fused with  tears.  She  went  to  hear  him  preach,  com- 
menced reading  God's  holy  word,  and  never  went  to 
mass  or  confession  more.  On  the  next  sabbath  morn- 
ing she  went  to  church,  and,  with  another,  read  her 
recantation.  She  sought  the  Lord  earnestly  and  peni- 
tently, and  soon  obtained  the  knowledge  of  salvation 
by  the  remission  of  her  sins.  The  priest  raised  a  most 
virulent  opposition  against  her,  but  she  continued  faith- 
ful ;  and,  though  she  was  a  little  perplexed  at  first,  all 
became  cahn,  and  joy,  and  peace.  She  rejoiced  to 
meet  her  father  in  the  gospel,  and  he  was  delighted  to 
meet  her  a  steady  member  of  the  Methodist  society. 
He  met  her  parents  about  six  miles  farther  on,  who, 
through  her  means,  it  would  appear,  had  abandoned 
the  errors  of  Rome.  Her  father  was  a  member  of  so- 
ciety, and  the  rest  of  the  family  likely  to  do  well.  This 
affords  one  instance  among  thousands  of  the  triumph 
of  divine  truth  through  the  instrumentality  of  this  faith- 
ful servant  of  Christ;  and  exhibits  a  demonstrative 
proof  that  no  small  tribute  of  thankfulness  is  due  to 
]Mr.  Ouselcy  for  the  numbers  which  have  been  won  to 
the  ranks  of  the  Establishment. 

Again  he  visited  Tuam,  and  a  scene  took  place,  such 
as  has  been  already  described  :  he  entered  the  market- 
place, accompanied  by  a  few  friends;  a  priest  sat  in  a 
window  behind  where  he  preached  ;  many  heard  with 
attention,  but  some  became  restless,  and  instigated 


324        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


otliers  to  annoy ;  the  yell  was  raised,  the  missiles  flew — 
turf,  stones,  &c.  He  was  repeatedly  hit,  but  received 
no  injury  until  struck  on  the  mouth ;  one  of  his  fore 
teeth  was  disturbed;  and  his  lip  and  gums  cut;  the 
blood  flowed  profusely ;  he  showed  them  some  of  the 
blood  on  his  hand,  and  gently  asked  them,  "  Is  this  my 
reward  for  my  good  will  to  you  ?"  He  prayed  heartily 
for  them,  and  retired  under  showers  of  stones;  yells 
and  reproaches  following  him,  until  a  kind  clergyman 
of  the  Establishment,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Irwin,  cried, 
"  Shame,  shame,"  at  the  mob,  and  took  him  by  the 
arm,  and  brought  him  to  his  own  house.  He  was  now 
invited  by  a  clergyman  to  another  town,  and  the  day  he 
went  there  he  preached,  in  English  and  Irish,  four  times, 
and  again  the  next  morning ;  and  had  a  very  gracious 
and  peaceable  time.  In  Ballinasloe  he  was  opposed  by  a 
man,  decent  in  appearance,  but  intoxicated,  who  re- 
ceived some  chastisement  from  his  own  sister  for  his 
unbecoming  behavior.  He  preached  through  all  the 
surrounding  towns  with  his  usual  fervor  and  unremitting 
zeal,  without  the  least  abatement,  and  was  never  heard 
to  complain  in  all  his  toil  and  peril.  "  All  this,"  he  says, 
"  did  not  for  a  single  day  prevent  my  labors ;  and,  to 
God  be  all  the  glory,  I  am  very  little,  if  anything,  the 
worse  of  all  these  labors  and  dangers ;  riding  so  inces- 
santly, and  preaching  at  the  rate  of  from  twelve  to 
twenty  times  a  week  publicly,  and  probably  nearly  as 
often  more,  as  I  travel  along,  to  those  I  meet  daily,  as 
I  can  speak  to  them  so  freely  in  their  own  language." 

The  above  accounts  are  taken  from  a  letter  of  his, 
dated  May  21st,  and  June  18th,  1830,  which  presents 
a  most  interesting  and  lengthened  detail  of  his  la- 
bors during  the  preceding  year,  the  whole  of  which, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


325 


could  our  space  admit  of  it,  would  strike  you  with 
wonder ;  I  shall,  however,  close  this  letter  by  an- 
other exti'act  from  this  important  document : — "  All 
the  time,  having  preached  so  much  in  the  streets  and 
chapels,  you  may  judge  what  multitudes  I  must  have 
ministered  to  in  this  way,  and  what  hundreds  of 
miles  I  rode.  How  great  has  been  the  tender  mercy 
and  loving  kindness  of  my  God  to  me,  in  enabling  me, 
now  in  my  sixty-ninth  year,  to  endure  all  this  incessant 
labor  with  such  facility  !  And,  the  more  especially,  as 
my  discourses  in  the  street  must  be  so  loud ;  and  having 
to  speak  so  much  Irish,  and  to  use  so  much  argument, 
in  order  to  develop  crafty  errors,  must  necessa^ly  be 
so  long.  'Tis  mercy  all !  This  is  the  more  remarkable 
when  we  observe  the  dread  the  priests  have  lest  their 
people  should  hear,  and  the  natural  enmity  of  their 
people  to  Protestantism  ;  and  the  violence  of  the  bigot- 
ed Irish  mind.  And  how  miraculous,  that  not  only  no 
damage  has  been  done  me,  nor  any  dangerous  tumults 
have  occurred,  but,  that  rather,  I  was  generally  heard 
with  such  attention  and  affection  in  all  places;  and 
that  while  exposing  the  impostures  so  long  practiced 
on  the  people !  O,  my  soul,  hast  thou  not  cause  to 
glorify  thy  God ;  and,  with  my  friends,  rejoice  with 
reverence  and  gratitude  before  him!"  Thus  writes 
Mr.  Ouseley,  when  he  had  nearly  numbered  his  three- 
Bcore  years  and  ten !  Yours,  &c. 


326        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


LETTER  XIV. 

Affliclion  of  Mr.  Ouseley— His  Idler  on  the  subject— Employs  the  lime  in  writing — 
Resumes  his  active  labors — Catches  cold  in  street  preachin ^Travels  in  Leinsicr  (ind 
Ulster— Interview  with  a  friendly  priest— Visits  King's  Court — A  priest  denounces  his 
OklChristianily  as  an  heretical  book— Two  lengthened  tours— Supplies  the  place  of  Mr. 
Sayley— Dialogue  in  the  street  of  B»lUnilsloe— Attacked  by  cholera  in  Sligo— Attends 
llie  annual  meeting  of  the  Irisli  Society  in  Dublin— Writes  strictures  on  the  pope's 
jubilee— Mrs.  Ouseley's  character— Mr.  Ouseley  travels  through  Kerry— Conversation 
wiUi  a  priest — Visits  Limerick,  Ennis,  and  Tipperary- Strongly  urges  the  employ- 
ment of  Scripture  teachers — Proposes  to  contribute  to  their  support — Travels  through 
the  western  counties— Visits  England— Effect  of  sermon  in  Mountmellick— Tntvels  in 
Kerry,  Limerick,  and  Galway — Attacked  by  robbers  on  his  return  to  Dublin — Pie- 
monitory  symptoms  of  his  last  illness — Letter  to  the  author— Prospects  of  eternity — ■ 
Concludes  his  public  ministry  by  preaching  in  Mountmellick — Returns  to  Dublin- 
Is  coniined  to  bed — The  closing  scene— Mr.  Ouseley's  character  as  a  writer^His 
genei^l  character  as  given  in  the  Minutes  of  Conference — Conclusion. 

My  Dear  Friend, — We  have  now  to  contemplate 
the  character  of  Mr.  Ouseley  in  another  aspect  than 
that  in  which  wc  were  invited  to  view  it  in  the  close  of 
the  last  letter.  The  man  of  almost  uninterrupted 
health,  and  ceaseless,  energetic  action,  is,  as  in  a 
moment,  weak  as  infancy,  laid  aside  for  a  season,  and 
in  all  human  calculation  no  more  to  resume  his  labors. 
He  at  first  is  under  the  distressing  anticipation  that  a 
period  is  put  to  his  holy  toil.  His  own  words  will  best 
describe,  at  once,  the  affliction,  and  his  feelings  of  pious 
submission  to  the  divine  will.  In  a  letter  to  the  mis- 
sionaiy  committee,  November  9th,  1830,  in  which  he 
expresses  himself  with  his  usual  force,  he  affectingly 
depicts  his  circumstances : — 

"  Through  the  mysterious  providence  of  that  good 
God  who  cannot  err,  but  doeth  all  things  well,  I  am 
confined  to  my  bed,  heavily  afflicted,  and  must  now 
address  the  committee  by  the  pen  of  a  kind  friend. 

"  That  course  of  vehement  active  labor,  in  which  I 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  327 


have  been  many  years  engaged,  to  promote  the  good 
of  my  fellow-men,  and  the  glory  of  my  God,  in  this 
benighted  kingdom,  and  in  which  he  so  blessedly  and 
wonderfully  preserved  and  supported  me,  is  now  very 
pi'obably  come  to  its  close. 

"  In  the  month  of  August  I  left  this  city,  in  health 
and  strength,  for  Connaught,  preaching  in  all  the 
towns  and  villages  as  I  went  along,  both  in  the  streets 
and  iouses,  to  multitudes  of  anxious  hearers,  at  the  rate 
of  ti-om  sixteen  to  twentj-  times  a  week,  without  a  sin- 
gle day's  intermission,  to  the  1  0th  of  October,  when,  in 
crossing  through  a  part  of  the  countj-  of  Leitrim  to  the 
place  appointed  for  me,  in  stepping  down  a  ditch  that 
intervened,  I  felt  a  sudden  shock  as  if  my  leg  were 
broken,  or  my  foot  were  severed  from  my  leg.  Afler 
rolling  in  anguish  on  the  ground  I  attempted  to  rise, 
and  in  that  state,  wonderful  to  tell,  I  got  on  horseback, 
not  knowing  exactly  what  damage  had  occurred,  but 
proceeded  to  my  place,  and  preached  that  night  to  the 
assembled  crowd  with  great  freedom.  It  having  been 
published,  far  and  wide,  that  I  was  to  open  the  new 
Methodist  chapel  in  Dnimshambo  the  next  day,  at 
one  o'clock,  swelled  and  painful  as  my  leg  was  I 
proceeded  to  my  work,  and  a  collection  of  about  ten 
guineas  (in  so  small  a  village)  was  made ;  the  crowd 
assembled  at  night  again,  and  I  preached  to  them,  and  on 
the  next  night  also.  Medical  men  who  came  to  see  me 
prescribed  poultices,  and  hoped  that  I  would  soon  get 
well ;  I  hoped  so  too ;  and  proceeded  on  my  course, 
preaching  daily,  sometimes  at  the  rate  of  twelve  times 
a  week.  I  purposed  to  penetrate  into  Mayo,  but  I 
found,  at  length,  as  the  great  swelling  in  my  leg  was 
increasing,  I  must  stop,  and  return  home  to  seek  medi- 


328       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 

cal  assistance  and  rest ;  and,  after  seventy-one  days' 
absence,  I  arrived  in  Dublin,  by  the  coach,  on  last 
Friday  week.  But,  before  my  departure  froni  the 
county  of  Longford,  I  received  a  very  pressing  letter 
from  an  amiable  clergyman  in  Moliill,  a  town  in  the 
county  of  Leitrim,  to  return  to  them,  after  I  had  lately 
spent  five  days  with  them  at  two  several  times,  preach- 
ing night  and  day  to  amazing  crowds — Romanists  and 
Protestants.  He  mentioned  to  me  that,  the  Sunday 
after  I  left  them,  no  less  than  a  hundred  and  eighty 
souls  approached  the  Lord's  table. 

"  Many  souls  were  converted,  and  the  whole  vicinity 
for  miles  round  seemed  to  be  moved.  Bad  as  my  leg 
was,  I  could  not  resist  this  invitation,  which  I  conceived 
to  be  of  God.  I  returned,  and  was  graciously  received 
by  both  rector  and  curate ;  and  by  the  inhabitants  most 
gladly.  I  stopped  three  days,  and  preached  seven 
times  in  a  large  double  school-room,  to  congregations 
still  more  dense  than  before  ;  nor  could  the  priest  with 
all  his  artifices  prevent  his  people  from  coming  to  hear. 
We  parted  the  last  morning  in  floods  of  tears ;  and 
with  prayers  and  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord. 

"  My  leg,  on  being  examined  by  men  of  science, , 
(since  my  return  to  Dublin,)  was  found  to  be  ruptured 
in  the  tendon  Achilles,  so  called,  and  in  the  region 
of  the  heel,  which  most  probably  will  leave  me  lame 
while  I  live.  But  this  is  not  all:  seldom  one  sorrow 
comes  alone :  I  was  attacked  last  Monday  night  with 
a  violent  pain  in  my  stomach,  which  threatened  to  put 
an  immediate  end  to  my  raorl;d  career:  an  eminent 
physician  was  roused  out  of  his  bed  in  all  haste,  who 
found  that  a  dangerous  inflammation  on  the  liver, 
which  he  said  was  long  growing,  was  my  complaint; 


MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  329 


he  forthwith  took  six  teacups  full  of  blood  from  my 
arm,  and  after  that  applied  eighteen  leeches  to  the  region 
of  the  liver,  which  bled  me  profusely ;  this  mitigated 
the  pungency  of  the  pain — to  our  God  be  the  glory,  who 
blessed  the  means  to  tlie  relief  of  liis  poor  creature : 
a  bUster  was  added,  which  also  tended  to  relieve  me. 
;My  appetite  is  gone,  and  here  I  lie  in  peace,  thank 
God,  and  helpless  as  a  child,  upon  a  bed  of,  doubtless, 
salutary  affliction,  under  the  care  of  a  kind  wife,  and  a 
merciful  Father,  who  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps,  and 
who  graciously  brought  me  home  before  this  accumula- 
tion of  afflictions  came  upon  me. 

"  A  consultation  of  two  eminent  physicians  on  my 
case  was  held  yesterday,  and  they  have  pronounced 
me  much  better,  and  encourage  me  to  expect  ultimate 
recovery,  but  that  it  will  take  time.  I  feel  upon  the 
whole,  thank  God,  nothing  but  cause  of  gratitude  to 
my  almighty  Protector,  and  a  hope  that  I  shall  again 
be  enabled  to  vdcld  the  sword  of  the  Lord  in  some 
measure,  as  heretofore." 

During  this  complicated  affliction  two  eminent  phy- 
sicians were  most  prompt  and  disinterested  in  their 
attendance ;  and  Mrs.  Ouseley  was  unwearied  in  her 
attention  and  care,  night  and  day,  for  weeks  ;  and  to 
these,  under  God,  he  owed  his  life.  "  My  dear  wife," 
he  says,  "  has  been  up  every  night,  from  the  beginning, 
two  or  three  times,  duly  to  attend  me  and  give  me 
drink."  The  hurt  in  his  leg  seemed  providential,  for 
the  physicians  said  that  the  inflammation  had  been 
gradually  accumulating,  and  had  he  then  proceeded, 
according  to  his  original  intention,  through  IMayo,  he, 
in  all  probabihty,  would  have  been  without  suitable 
medical  advice  and  attention,  and  have  fallen  under 


330        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


the  disease.  He  consoled  himself  under  his  affliction 
by  the  thought  that  his  pen  could  be  employed  in  his 
divine  Master's  cause.  His  feebleness  and  lameness 
were  such,  that  during  the  winter  he  could  not  attempt 
anything  that  required  exertion;  yet  he  says,  "  This 
also,  I  am  persuaded,  will  be  followed  with  good;  for 
now,  thank  God,  I  can  take  my  pen,  and  my  heart  is 
inditing  of  a  good  matter."  Some  works  on  the  Popish 
controversy  occupied  his  mind,  and  were  afterward 
brought  out  during  his  temporary  retirement.  "  Popery, 
Popery,  is  Satan's  first-born ;  this  none  who  knows  it 
can  deny ;  and  it  is  making  rapid  strides  in  England ! 
How  then  comes  it  to  pass  that  scarce  any  one  minds 
it  more  than  if  it  were  a  mere  harmless  thing  ?"  "  The 
Plot  Developed,"  and  "  Strictures  on  the  Controversy 
between  Pope  and  Maguire,"  he  published  in  one 
volume,  as  a  seasonable  check,  at  the  time,  to  the  arro- 
gant spirit  of  error,  as  he  believed  that  the  cause  of 
truth  was  greatly  disserved  by  the  discussion.  He 
also  enlarged  his  work  already  mentioned,  "  An 
Earnest  Appeal  on  Calvinism  and  Anninianism,  &c., 
to  promote  Christian  Union."  During  these  seasons 
of  "  gentle  affliction,"  as  he  was  wont  to  express  him- 
self, his  best  productions  were  written. 

His  attention  was  at  this  time  anxiously  directed  to 
the  instituting  of  a  new  agency  for  the  spiritual 
instruction  of  the  Irish,  under  the  name  of  "  Scripture 
readers."  He  sketched  a  plan  easy  of  accomplishment, 
and  recommended  a  suitable  person  to  make  trial. 
He  afterward  proceeded  further  with  his  design,  urged 
it  on  the  missionary  committee  and  conference,  and 
offered  an  annual  subscription  to  the  fund  for  its 
support. 


MEJI08IAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  331 


In  the  latter  end  of  December  he  writes,  "  The  liver 
comijlaint  has,  thank  God,  subsided ;  yet  the  doctors 
keep  me  low.  I  feel  no  pain  on  that  ground,  though 
my  appetite  has  returned  My  leg  is  very  little,  if 
anything,  better ;  the  weakness  and  soreness  continue. 
I  can,  however,  limp  slowly  about  the  house ;  and  I 
can  use  my  pen :  this  is  a  great  mercy  indeed !  and 
let  patience  have  her  perfect  work."  For  nearly  eight 
months  he  was  not  able  to  move  beyond  his  own  door. 
His  first  effort  to  preach  was  made  in  Whitefriar-street 
cliapel,  and  he  felt  improved  by  the  exertion.  He 
was  anxious  once  more  to  return  to  his  work.  "  I  feel 
hope,"  he  says,  "  that  though  my  leg  is  still  weak,  that 
I  shall  be  able  to  resume  my  labors  immediatelj',  if  not 
fully  as  formerly,  yet,  with  caution,  in  some  degree 
effectually."  Both  himself  and  his  friends  regarded 
his  illness  as  providential,  as,  during  that  period, 
great  agitations  and  murderous  outrages  prevailed 
throughout  our  ill-fated  country,  which  would  have 
rendered  it  hazardous  for  him  to  travel  in  his  usual 
way. 

He  speaks  in  terms  of  high  esteem  and  gratitude  of 
the  disinterested  kindness  of  Dr.  Cheyne,  and  also 
of  Dr.  Browne,  both  of  whom  generously  declined 
receiving  any  fee,  though  pressed  upon  them,  esteem- 
ing it  rather  a  privilege  than  otherwise  to  wait  on  Mr. 
Ouseley  in  his  illness. 

At  every  step  we  proceed  in  the  singular  narrative 
of  the  man,  we  are  the  more  forcibly  impressed  with 
wonder  at  his  extraordinary  character.  AVe  have  just 
seen  liim  passing  under  a  painful  and  protracted  illness, 
and  even  then,  by  every  effort  of  his  pen,  does  he 
strive  to  advance  the  cause  of  truth,  and  benefit  his 


332       MEMORIAL  OF  GICEON  ODSELEf. 


fellow-men ;  and  scarcely  is  he  relieved  from  his  in- 
disposition, till  we  find  him  again  engaged  in  fatiguing 
duties,  pursuing  his  career  of  usefulness  with  unabated 
ardor. 

Ill  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Elijah  Hoole,  dated  Septem- 
ber 6th,  1831,  IMr.  Ouseley  writes :—"  Hitherto  the 
Lord  hath  helped  me,  in  the  midst  of  incessant  labors ; 
for,  in  every  place,  the  crowds  run  together  to  hear  as 
soon  as  they  know  I  am  come,  so  that  I  generally 
preach  from  fourteen  to  sixteen  times  a  week,  or 
more.  Since  Sunday  morning  last  I  have  preached, 
in  and  out  of  doors,  thirteen  times,  to  this  morning, 
(Thursday.)  In  the  county  of  Longford  I  had  great 
congregations  everywhere,  and  I  trust  good  has  been 
done." 

By  invitation  of  Mr.  Kingston,  a  magistrate,  he 
preached  in  Kenagh  twice,  and  such  numbers  attend- 
ed his  preaching  as  they  had  not  seen  there  before. 
He  then  proceeded  to  the  county  of  Leitrim,  and 
preached  in  the  street  of  Mohill,  where  he  had  been 
just  before  his  illness.  An  immense  crowd  attended ; 
his  way  was  delightfully  opened,  so  that  he  got  a  large 
school-room  to  preach  in,  stopped  three  days,  and 
preached  eight  sermons  before  he  left  them.  The 
Romanists  crowded  to  hear  him,  in  spite  of  the  priests. 
He  spent  the  day  with  the  excellent  rector,  and,  al- 
though the  night  was  wet,  and  dark,  and  stormy,  the 
crowd  that  assembled  was  surprising.  He  remarks, — 
"  The  Lord  was  with  us  indeed,  blessed  he  his  name ! 
I  must  soon  visit  them  again.  I  was  almost  tired  last 
night  after  having  preached  four  times  ;  but  I  got 
sweet  refreshing  sleep  to  fit  me  for  the  morning.  Thus 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  333 

I  hope,  now  that  I  am  put  on  my  legs  again,  to  go 
on  rejoicing  till  I  finish  my  course. 

Throughout  the  -winter,  he  prosecuted  the  work  with 
equal  diligence  ;  and  for  ninety  days,  without  cessation, 
he  preached  and  traveled;  visited  jMohill  again,  and 
A-ast  numbers  of  the  Roman  Catholics  attended  each 
night  in  the  large  school-room,  and  still  greater  num- 
bers in  tlie  sti-eets.  He  was  now  attacked  with  a  cold, 
which  affected  both  his  lungs  and  liver,  and  obliged 
him  to  return  to  Dublin  for  medical  advice.  After 
three  weeks  he  was  freed  from  the  cough,  and  nearly- 
restored  :  "  And  I  expect,"  he  says,  "  shortly  to  launch 
forth  once  more."  His  views  of  the  "  Education 
Board  "  were  well  known.  I  have  hardly,  at  any  time, 
heard  such  powerful  and  sarcastic  strictures  on  the 
subject,  from  any  one,  as  from  Mr.  Ouseley.  He  re- 
marks in  his  letter :  "  Never  in  my  memory  has  the 
Protestant  spirit  been  so  roused  in  behalf  of  the  Bible, 
and  so  much  said,  and  so  well  said,  about  it,  and  that  by 
all  denominations  and  classes  of  Protestants,  as  since 
the  new  Education,  Infidel-Popish  Board  had  deter- 
mined to  prescribe  it,  and  shut  it  out  from  the  educa- 
tion system.  Much  good  from  this  evil  attempt  will,  I 
expect,  through  the  divine  mercy,  be  the  result. 

The  next  year,  his  laborious  course  was  chiefly 
through  Leinster  and  Ulster.  After  he  had  preached 
in  the  street  of  Ballyjamosduff,  a  priest  who  had  heard 
him  sought  an  interview  with  him,  came  to  his  lodging 
night  and  morning,  and  held  free  and  friendly  con- 
versations with  him  on  religious  subjects.  He  also 
cordially  invited  him  to  his  house,  but  Mr.  Ouseley's 
plan  would  not  admit  of  any  delay. 


334 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDKON  OUSELEY. 


In  some  instances  the  Roman  Catholic  priests  evinced 
great  respect  for  him,  and  seemed  glad  to  receive  the 
truth  from  his  lips.  Some  time  before  this,  while  tra- 
veling in  the  county  of  Wexford,  he  rode  into  a  town 
on  the  Lord's  day ;  and,  as  is  customary  after  mass, 
great  numbers  were  engaged  near  the  chapel,  some 
in  playing  ball,  some  gambling,  and  others  drinking 
whisky.*  Mr.  Ouseley  went  immediately  to  the  parish 
priest,  a  mild,  good-natured  man,  who  received  him 
very  kindly.  He  in  strong  terms  remonstrated  against 
these  abuses.  Are  not  you,  sir,''  he  said,  "  the  pastor 
of  Christ's  flock  ?"  The  priest,  in  a  subdued  tone,  re- 
phed,  "  Indeed  I  am,  sir."  "  Then  why  do  you  not 
turn  out  the  unruly  ones,  according  to  the  command 
of  Christ  your  Lord  ?"  "  Lord  help  me,"  replied  the 
priest;  "if  I  turn  out  these,  I'll  have  none  at  all." 
"  Better  for  you  to  have  none  at  all,"  rejoined  Mr.  O., 
"  or  have  only  three,  and  have  such  a  church  as  Christ 
and  his  apostles  founded,  than  have  the  whole  country- 
side of  such  fellows."  "  True  for  you,  sir ;  but.  Lord 
have  mercy  upon  us,  what  shall  we  do  for  the  bit  of 
bread  ?"    Then  Mr.  O.  turned  to  the  lives  of  some  of 

*  The  desecration  of  tlie  Christian  sabbath  is  one  of  our  great 
national  sins.  It  is  awfully  prevalent  among  Roman  Catholics  ;  nor 
can  this  be  thought  surprising,  when  it  is  considered  tiiat  the  very 
best  of  their  clergy  advocate  its  open  abuse  as  consistent  with  the 
liberty  of  the  Christian  dispensation.  The  Rev.  Theobald  Mathew, 
in  laboring  to  advance  the  cause  of  temperance,  does  not  scruple  to 
plead  for  the  Christian  propriety  of  the  most  flagrant  violation  of  the 
holy  day.  In  a  letter  in  the  Cork  Constitution  he  says :  "  It  may  be 
objected  to  me  that  I  ha've  attended  at  temperance  meetings  on  Uie 
Lord's  day,  accompanied  by  bands  of  music.  As  I  interpret  the 
sacred  Scriptures,  this  does  not  appear  to  me  a  profanation  of  the 
Lord's  day.  I  avail  myself  of  the  gospel  liberty  with  which  Christ 
has  set  us  free  from  the  yoke  of  the  Levitical  law."  This,  alas ! 
requires  no  comment. 


ME3I0KIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  335 


the  popes,  and  showed  the  absurdity  of  connecting  the 
name  of  Christianity  with  such  monsters  of  impiety. 
"  True  enough  for  you,"  said  the  priest,  "  there 's  their 
lives  on  the  table  there."  His  coadjutor  came  in  shortly 
after,  and  said,  '•  So  you  have  had  that  heresiarch 
Ouseley  here."  The  other  sharply  rebuked  him,  and 
ordered  him  out  of  his  presence,  saying,  "  ]VIi\  Ouseley 
is  a  gentleman  and  scholar,  sir;  what  you  are  not. 
You  dare  not  open  your  mouth,  sir,  if  he  were  present." 
He  clung  to  Mr.  Ouseley  with  the  greatest  affection ; 
and  such  was  the  impression  that  his  conversation  had 
upon  his  mind,  that  when  he  was  dying  he  cried  out, 
"  0  Mr.  Ouseley  !  Mr.  Ouseley  !" 

But  to  return.  Soon  after  leaving  Ballyjamesduff 
we  find  him  laboring  successfully  in  EnniskiUen,  where 
was  a  great  work,  and  many  souls  were  by  his  means 
added  to  the  Lord.  Here  he  was  constrained  to  con- 
tinue eight  da}  s.  Almost  every  night  soul^  were  awa- 
kened and  brought  to  God.  In  the  street  he  preached 
on  horseback  to  an  immense  crowd,  on  the  market 
day  ;  and  while  he  laid  before  them  the  willingness  of 
God  to  save  them,  through  faith  in  the  Redeemer,  the 
power  of  the  Lord  was  graciously  felt;  nor  did  the  Ro- 
manists evidence  any  displeasure  while  he  showed  them 
that  they  were  taught  quite  another  doctrine.  "  O  what 
a  pity,"  he  remarks,  "  that  we  have  not  more  street 
preaching !  for  how  can  these  poor  sheep  hear  other- 
wise ?  Poor  souls  !  my  heart  mourns  over  them."  lu 
like  manner  he  preached  in  other  towns  of  the  counties 
of  Fennanagh,  Cavan,  Monaghan,  Tyrone,  &c.  He 
proceeded  to  King's  Court  on  Good  Fridaj-,  and  had 
nuich  interesting  conversation  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Win- 
ning, superintendent  of  the  Irish  Society's  schools. 


336 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


The  thousands  who  entered  into  resolutions  to  read 
the  Scriptures  persisted  in  their  pious  determination, 
notwithstanding  the  authority  and  denunciations  of  their 
rlergy.  They  also  possessed  themselves  of  Old  Chris- 
tianity, and  several  of  Mr.  Ouseley's  other  controver- 
sial tracts,  which  they  read  with  avidit)-.  The  priest 
had  heard  of  one  man  in  particular  who  had  got  his 
larger  work,  and  came  to  him  to  dissuade  him  from 
reading  it,  or  having  it  in  his  possession.  AVlien  the 
reverend  father  could  not  prevail,  he  seized  him  by 
the  collar,  and  they  had  a  determined  grapple  ;  but  the 
man  persisted.  The  priest,  being  defeated  in  the 
struggle,  cursed  him  for  his  contumacy  from  the  altar 
in  the  chapel — cursed  the  cow  that  gave  him  milk,  and 
the  grass  on  which  she  fed,  if  he  would  riot  part  with 
tliis  heretical  book.  But  all  in  vain :  he  could  not 
frighten  him.  After  a  tour  of  fifty-three  days  of  in- 
cessant labor  at  this  time,  Mr.  Ouseley  saj's,  "  I  came 
home  safe,  well,  and  happy  in  my  soul,  now  in  my 
seventy-first  year.    Glory  be  to  my  God  !" 

Increasing  years  seem  to  have  had  no  other  effect 
on  Mr.  Ouseley  than  increasing  his  solicitude  for  the 
salvation  of  his  fellow-men,  and  stimulating  him,  if  pos- 
sible, to  gi-eater  exertions  for  that  momentous  object. 
When  he  entered  on  the  seventy-second  year  of  his 
age,  he  preached  as  much  as  in  his  youthful  days. 
Besides  some  shoi'ter  excursions  wliich  he  took  in  183.3, 
he  gives  a  detail  of  his  labors  during  a  more  lengthened 
tour  in  the  latter  end  of  1832,  and  another  early  in 
1833.  In  one  place  in  King's  county  he  was  invited 
by  the  rector,  by  whom  he  was  hospitably  entertained, 
and  in  whose  school-house  he  repeatedly  preached  to 
mixed  and  large  congregations.    In  TuUamore  he 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  337 


breakfasted  in  company  Avith  the  rector  and  curate, 
amiable  and  pious  men.  "  We  had,"  says  Mr.  O., 
"much  edifyin<;  and  aflfectionate  conversation  on  the 
extent  of  the  atonement,  and  some  other  points  enter- 
tained by  many  learned  and  good  men  in  this  king- 
dom." Hearing  of  the  :udden  death,  by  cholera,  of 
one  of  our  missionaries,  the  Eev.  Robert  Bailey,  he 
hastened  to  his  mission,  to  condole  v.ith  the  bereaved 
•widow  and  her  family,  and  to  supply  the  preaching 
places  of  the  excellent  man  that  had  been  removed 
from  a  world  of  toil  and  pain  to  the  "  rest  that  remain- 
etli  for  the  peo])le  of  God."  lie  passed  thi-ough  Athlone, 
where  the  Lord  wonderfuU}-  acknowledged  his  ministry. 
On  the  Sunday  he  preached  ouce  in  the  street,  afler 
church  service,  and  twice  in  the  chapel.  "  I  had  been 
ill,"  he  saj-s,  "  for  a  few  weeks ;  and  even  when  setting 
out  was  still  ill  from  a  fall  I  bad  gotten,  by  which  I  re- 
ceived a  contusion  in  my  right  side.  The  first  week  I 
preached  only  seven  times,  the  next  ten,  and  after  that 
fourteen  times  and  upward.  Thus  my  gracious  Master 
strengthened  me,  and  smoothed  my  way.  Glory  be  to 
him !" 

lie  spent  thirty-two  days  on  that  mission,  and  preach- 
ed in  the  several  towns  in  the  public  streets.  In  Bal- 
liiiasloe  market  a  sort  of  dialogue  took  place  in  Irish 
between  him  and  one  of  the  peasantry,  which  showed 
the  satisfaction  felt  by  the  poor  people  at  hearing  the 
word  of  the  Lord  explained.  "  Poor  dear  souls,"  says 
Mr.  Ouseley,  "  they  were  astonished  to  hear  the  truths 
of  the  blessed  gospel"  Some  of  them  exclaimed  in 
Irish,  "  We  never  heard  priest  or  friar  speak  so."  ]\Ir. 
O.  replied,  "  And  yet  I  am  a  Protestant !"  "  And  for 
all  that,"  said  one,  "  no  priest  comes  up  to  you.  God 


338        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


bless  and  speed  you  !"  On  All-saints'  day,  or  tlie  day 
after,  while  he  was  preaching,  one  of  them  cried  out, 
"  You  are  right  enough ;  for  this  time  souls  are  leaving 
purgatory.  The  priest  told  us  from  the  altar  that  they 
are  flying  out  of  it  like  flocks  of  crows  out  of  a  rookery  ; 
and  that  every  one  praying  fervently  will  get  out  a 
soul."'  This  was  all  expressed  in  Irish ;  and  Mr.  O. 
answered  in  the  same  tongue,  and  in  his  own  peculiar 
way  reasoned  with  them  on  the  absurdity  of  such  no- 
tions. "Without  faith  in  Christ,"  he  argued,  " and  the 
Holy  'Spirit  cleansing  the  soul  from  sin,  there  is  no  sal- 
vation ;  and  having  these,  there  can  be  no  condemna- 
tion. If  no  condemnation,  no  punishment;  and  if  no 
punishment,  no-  place  after  death  for  punishment — no 
purgatory  for  any  gracious  souls.  And  if  these  things 
be  so,  and  cannot  be  denied,  the  whole  doctrine  of  pur- 
gatory is  of  human  invention,  and  a  cheat  on  ignorance 
and  credulity."  Satisfaction  beamed  in  the  counte- 
nances of  his  hearers,  and  a  blessing  was  prayed  on 
him  when  he  concluded. 

As  he  approached  vSligo,  in  his  second  excursion,  be 
had  premonitory  symptoms  of  cholera,  and  yet  he 
preached  as  if  he  had  been  quite  well.  At  length  he 
sunk  under  it;  but  getting  medical  aid,  he  was,  by 
God's  blessing,  in  a  few  days  enabled  to  preach  again. 
On  Thursday,  February  28th,  he  was  obliged  to  abstain 
from  al!  puljlic  exertions  until  Sunday,  when  he  had 
so  far  convalesced  as  to  be  able  to  preach  morning 
and  evening  to  delighted  and  crowded  congregations. 
"  I  was  well  taken  care  of,"  he  remaj-ks,  "  at  our  friend 
Upton's,  by  himself,  his  dear  wife,  and  daughters.  I 
pray  God  to  remember  them  for  good."  In  Longford, 
while  he  preachfd.  a  priest  came  into  the  crowd,  and 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  339 


said,  in  a  low  tone,  "  Go  away."  Some  of  the  people 
made  a  great  noise ;  and,  as  if  a  bellman  had  gone 
round,  they  crowded  to  the  chapel  in  the  evening. 

He  hastened  home  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Irish  Society,  whioli  was  held  in  the  Rotunda,  on 
Monday,  the  18th  of  JIarch.  On  his  way  he  stopped 
in  Athlone,  with  his  kind  friend,  the  rector,  as  he  had 
promised ;  preached  there  in  the  street  on  Sunday, 
after  church  service,  to  a  mixed  multitude,  without  the 
slightest  intennption,  and  at  night  to  a  dense  crowd, 
of  whom  several  were  Romanists.  He  arrived  in 
Dublin  on  the  13th  of  March.  '•  Thank  God,"  he  says, 
'•  in  good  health,  and  happy ;  my  good  wife  I  found  in 
tolerable  health."  On  Sunday,  the  1 7th,  he  preached 
in  three  of  the  chapels  in  Dublin,  and,  though  a  little 
tired,  nothing  the  worse.  He  met  some  instances  at 
this  time,  in  Dublin,  of  the  good  efiects  of  his  book. 

•■  The  pope's  jubilee,  to  purify  the  fiiithful,  and  wash 
white  as  snow,"  was  then  in  full  operation  throughout 
Ireland.  He  wrote  an  exposure  of  that  wretched  cheat, 
and  had  it  inserted  in  some  of  the  newspapers.  With 
the  exception  of  a  slight  cold,  he  says,  "  By  the  divine 
goodness,  I  feel  as  well  and  strong,  and  as  willing  to 
labor  for  my  God,  as  at  any  time  these  past  twenty-five 
yeai"s.  Aly  poor  wife,"  he  adds,  "  has  rather  a  heavy 
cold.  She  and  T  shall,  next  month,  have  been  fifty 
years  united  !" 

"We  have  had,  occasionally,  in  the  course  of  this 
work,  to  refer  to  Mrs.  Ouseley,  whose  piety  and  zeal 
for  the  cause  of  God  in  no  small  degree  contributed 
to  encourage  her  incomparable  luisband  in  his  arduous 
and  successful  career.  A  slight  departure  from  the 
direct  narrative  will  bo  excused,  while  we  give  a  brief 


340         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


sketch  of  the  character  of  that  exemplary  woman. 
And,  should  this  coine  under  her  eye,  she  will  forgive 
her  old  and  attached  friend  for  the  liberty  he  takes 
with  h(?r  respected  name.  It  fills  me  with  indescrib- 
able emotion  to  touch  on  a  subject  with  which  are 
associated  a  thousand  grateful  j-cminiscences,  so  as  to 
make  it  no  easy  task  to  pay  this  ti-ibute;  but  such 
was  her  worth,  that  to  pass  it  over  wholly  in  silence 
would  be  an  unpardonable  omission.  The  saintly 
widow  of  the  venerable  Ouselcy  is  every  way  deserving 
of  the'  name  she  bears,  and  the  rank  she  has  so  long 
sustained  in  the  church  of  Christ.  At  the  pei-iod  in 
which  I  became  acquainted  with  her  she  had  passed 
the  meridian  of  life.  A  gentlewoman,  combining  in 
her  character  rare  qualities:  of  good  education,  en- 
gaging manners,  great  kindness  of  heart,  sound  sense, 
and  genuine  piety.  In  an  infant  society,  she  was  well 
qualified  to  foster,  in  the  absence  of  the  missionary,  the 
incipient  good  in  young  converts.  She  instructed  the 
ignorant,  encouraged  the  timid,  and  gave  an  elevated 
tone  to  the  piety  of  the  more  matured  Christians. 
She  was  an  ornament  to  our  society,  and  an  honor  to 
her  sex  ;  and  peculiarly  fitted  for  mixing  with  persons 
of  respectability  and  intelligence,  and  making  such 
impressions  as  tended  to  promote  their  spirituality,  as 
well  as  increase  their  respect  for  the  religion  which  she 
meekly  professed.  I  am  the  more  undisguised  in  the 
expression  of  my  sense  of  her  excellences,  as  she  is  on 
the  verge  of  the  future  world,  where  she  shall  shortly 
join  the  sainted  spirit  of  her  husband  in  the  unfading 
joys  of  eternity. 

Mr.  Ouseley  often  calls  her,  "  my  most  patient  wife." 
She  was  most  tenderly  attached  to  her  honored  part- 


MEMORIAL  OF  GTDEON  OUSELEY.  341 


ner;  but,  nevertheless,  without  a  murmur  endured 
his  absence,  while  he  traveled  through  the  kingdom 
amid  imminent  dangei-s,  exposed  as  he  was  frequently 
to  persecutions  and  perils :  "in  deaths  oft,  in  journey- 
ings  often,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  by  his  own 
countrymen,  in  perils  in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wil- 
demes.s,  in  weariness  and  painfulness,"  And  yet  would 
she,  though  not  without  anxiety  for  her  husband's 
safety,  remain  at  home  during  his  absence  for  six 
months  together,  with  the  exception  of  an  interval  of 
a  few  days,  while  he  was  undergoing  all  the  labors  and 
hardships  we  have  been  describing :  so  that  one  scarcely 
knows  whether  to  admire  more — this  excellent  woman 
under  her  privations,  or  the  man  pursuing  his  toilsome 
course.  Her  pious  mind  yielded  to  what  she  believed 
to  be  the  divine  mil ;  and,  in  the  exercise  of  faith,  she, 
in  the  spirit  of  sacrifice,  presented  her  offering  to  the 
Lord,  that  the  interests  of  his  kingdom  might  be  ad- 
vanced by  the  instrumentality  of  his  ftiithful  servant, 
and  the  great  object  of  the  gospel  be  attained  in  the 
salvation  of  lost  men. 

From  March,  until  the  conference  of  1833,  the  same 
course  of  active  labor  was  pui-sued  by  ]Mr,  Ouseley  ^\-ith 
untiring  zeal,  and  in  the  same  unbroken  spirit.  On 
the  1st  of  June  he  preached  thrice  in  Leitrim,  and 
twice  in  the^  county  of  Cavan  ;  and  from  that  to  the 
21st  of  the  same  month,  in  different  and  distant  towns 
in  the  counties  of  Leitrim,  Cavan,  Tyrone,  Monaghan, 
and  ^leath,  he  preached  sixtj-sbc  sermons,  of  which 
twenty-five  were  in  the  public  streets.  "  On  this 
coui"se,"  he  remarks,  "I  have  to  acknowledge  much 
affection  generally,  in  all  places,  fi-om  the  clergy  of  the 
Established  Church." 


342        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


About  tliis  time,  an  attempt  was  made  to  take  away 
his  life,  while  preaching  out  of  doors  in  Dublin.  A 
gentleman  residing  in  the  north  of  the  city  invited 
the  Methodist  ministers,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Waugh,  &c., 
to  preaV-h  in  an  open  space  before  his  hall-door.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Hull  was  the  first  to  engage  in  the  work, 
and  others  of  us,  in  turn,  followed.  For  some  time 
the  preaching  was  continued  without  interruption ; 
until  a  gentleman  Uving  in  the  neighborhood  took 
huge  offense,  and  endeavored  to  prevent  the  nuisance. 
But  when  Mr.  Ouseley  came  to  our  assistance,  the 
enemies  of  truth  thought  to  make  short  work  of  it; 
for  one  of  them,  while  he  was  in  the  act  of  preaching, 
came  behind  him,  armed  with  a  hatchet,  and  treache- 
rously aimed  a  deadly  blow  at  his  head,  which,  if  it 
had  taken  effect,  would  have  killed  him  on  the  spot ; 
but,  most  providentially,  a  friend  near  him  suddenly 
seized  the  fellow's  arm,  and  prevented  his  foul  design. 
He  was  committed  to  custody,  but  Mr.  Ouseley  was 
obstinate  in  Ms  refusal  to  prosecute  him. 

After  the  Cork  Conference  he  traveled  to  the  county 
of  Kerry,  and,  spending  a  few  days  on  the  Tralee  cir- 
cuit, he  started  for  Limerick  on  the  mail-cai',  and  from 
Castle  Island  sat  beside  a  friendly  priest.  They  con- 
versed freely  on  the  tenets  of  the  Romish  Church ; 
and,  although  Mr.  Ouseley  exposed  and  overthrew  the 
sophistries  used  in  their  support,  the  priest  cleaved  to 
him  as  to  a  brother.  He  presented  Mm  with  a  copy 
of  his  Letter  to  father  Magnire,  and  that  to  priest 
Spencer,  which  he  gratefully  received,  and  said  he 
would  carefully  read  them;  he  also  requested  to  get 
The  Plot  Opened.  They  spoke  on  various  topics, 
and  sometimes  in  Latin ;  but  nothing  surprised  him 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  343 


more  than  Mr.  Ouseley's  speaking  to  the  beggai-s  in 
Irish,  when  they  flocked  about  the  car.  "  I  declare," 
he  exchximed,  "  you  appear  to  know  eveiything." 

The  Kev.  "William  Stewart  being  appointed  one  of 
the  representatives  to  the  British  Conference,  IMr. 
Ouseley  was  requested  to  take  his  place  for  some  time 
on  the  Limerick  circuit.  During  a  fortnight  which 
he  remsvined  he  preached  in  the  streets  and  chapels, 
in  town  and  country,,  not  less  than  forty-seven  times. 
"  August  7th,"  he  says,  "  I  took  my  leave  of  them :  I 
preached  to  a  large  congregation,  and  we  had  a 
blessed  season.  This  was  the  sixth  sermon,  in  and  out, 
that  day !  I  was  nothing  the  worse,  thank  God."  He 
also  visited  J^nnis  in  the  county  of  Clare,  and  some 
towns  in  the  county  of  Tipperaiy,  and  then  proceeded 
to  Dublin. 

At  this  time  his  anxiety  increased  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  Scripture  reader's  societj'  in  Ireland ;  and, 
in  a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Theophilus  Lessey,  he  begged 
to  engage  him  as  the  advocate  of  his  plan  in  the  mis- 
sionary committee.  "  I  am  satisfied,"  he  says,  "  your 
voice  and  Mr.  Bunting's  shall  be  heard  for  us :  I  will 
give  £50  myself,  this  year,  and  the  same  next  year." 
He  goes  on  to  say  :  "  I  am  willing  to  bestow  the  copy- 
right of  my  large  woi'k,  and  prepare  a  copy  for  your 
Book  Eoom ;  and  with  anything  I  have  written  I  am 
willing  to  do  the  same ;  for  conscience'  sake,  to  pro- 
mote God's  cause,  made  me  take  up  my  pen.  My 
days  will  soon  come  to  a  close,  of  course,  and  this  is« 
not  the  time  to  slack  my  hands."  It  was  at  length 
decided  by  the  missionary  committee,  that  the  earnest 
appeals  of  Mr.  Ouseley  ^on  this  subject  should  be 
responded  to;  and  it  is  announced  as  follows,  in  the 


344        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDKON  OUSELEY. 


December  Notice  :  "  The  friends  of  Ireland  will  be  glad 
to  learn  that  the  committee  has  determined  to  strengthen 
our  mission  establishment  in  that  country.  Some  time 
since,  the  Rev.  Gideon  Ouseley  strongly  advised  the 
employing  of  a  limited  number  of  Scripture  teachers, 
and  generously  offered  to  contribute  £50  toward  de- 
fraying the  expense ;  and  the  last  Irish  Conference 
having  earnestly  recommended  the  speedy  adoption  of 
the  measure,  the  committee  has  resolved  to  engage,  at 
a  moderate  salaiy,  ten  pious  persons,  whose  business 
will  be  to  visit  those  places  which  the  missionaries  can 
only  occasionally  reach,  and  instruct  the  people  out  of 
the  Scriptures  in  the  first  principles  of  rehgion."  In 
a  letter  to  the  Rev.  Jabez  Bunting,  Mv.  Ouseley  subse- 
quently urged  the  entering  upon  the  plan  thus  adopted. 
The  system  for  some  time  continued  in  efficient  opera- 
tion, until  the  mission  schools  becoming  extended,  this 
plan  was  deemed  bettor  suited  to  the  circumstances  of 
the  country,  especially  as  our  schoolmasters  g^ei'ally 
act  as  exhorters  or  local  preachers.  The  mission  schools, 
for  several  years  under  the  able  superintendence  of  the 
Rev.  W.  O.  Coggon,  have  been  greatly  extended,  and 
are  now  in  a  state  of  very  efficient  operation. 

We  turn  again  to  the  public  movements  of  IMi'. 
Ouseley.  Can  the  record  of  his  labors  be  reflected  on 
without  admiration  ?  lu  his  letter  to  the  Rev.  Jabez 
Bunting,  dated  February  19th,  1834,  from  which  we 
have  already  quoted,  he  st.ites :  "  Severe,  wet,  and 
stormy,  as  the  winter  has  been,  and  though  I  labored 
in  the  word  at  the  rate  of  from  fourteen  to  eighteen 
times  a  week,  without  a  single  day's  intermission,  save 
the  day  I  left  home,  and  that  on  which  I  returned,  I 
traveled  through  the  western  counties — Westmeuth, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


345 


Longford,  Roscommon,  Galway,  Mayo,  and  Sligo — 
pi-eaching  to  multitudes  as  I  went  along, — yet,  through 
divine  mere}-,  I  am  not  a  wbit  the  worse !" 

During  this  excursion,  which  lasted  one  hundred  and 
six  days,  he  ]>reached  two  hundred  and  fifty  sei-mons, 
and  scattered  hundreds  of  his  tracts.  lie  sent  several 
of  them  to  Popish  bishops  and  priests,  with  a  short 
letter  in  Latin  accompanying  them  in  every  case. 
Although  his  generd  health  was  good,  he  had,  at  this 
time,  a  painful  sore  on  his  right  leg,  by  which  he  was 
confined  for  a  short  season.  "  This,"  he  says,  "  was 
for  some  good  end.    To  God  be  the  glory !" 

The  sore  on  his  leg  increased  to  what  he  afterward 
calls  "  a  painful  malady,"  and  detained  him  at  home 
three  months,  in  which  time  I  had  the  pri-\ilege  of 
frequently  visiting  him.  He  regarded  the  aiUiction  as 
from  the  hand  of  God,  as  he  had  an  opportunity  of 
vindicating  the  truths  of  Christianity,  as  revealed  in 
God's  book,  and  held  by  Protestants,  against  the  at- 
tacks of  the  noted  priest  Maguire.  The  latter  had 
been  invited  to  Dublin  during  the  season  of  Lent,  and, 
in  the  Westland-row  Chapel,  delivered  a  series  of  lec- 
tures on  the  peculiar  dogmas  of  Home.  I\lr.  Ouseley 
obtained  information  of  his  subjects  as  he  j)roceeded, 
and  combated  them  in  the  public  prints,  challenging 
Archbishop  IMurray,  or  any  other,  to  reply ;  but,  though 
father  Tom  gave  him  abundance  of  oral  abuse,  nothing 
tangible  appeared.  Immediately  on  his  becoming  con- 
\  alescent,  he  proceeded  iu  May  on  an  excursion  which 
lasted  for  upwanl  of  a  month ;  and  after  conference 
took  a  tour  of  ninety-four  days,  to  which,  as  well  as 
other  laboi's,  the  missionary  committee  refers  in  tJie 
Ibllowing  terms :  "  The  veteran  Irish  missionary,  Mr. 


346        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


Ouseley,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three,  continues  to  be 
'  in  labors  more  abundant,'  and  exhibits  a  pattern  of 
unwearied  zeal  in  the  cause  of  Scriptural  truth  and 
piety,  which  all  ministers  may  contemplate  with  profit. 
Probably  no  one  individual  living  has  been  permitted 
to  sow  so  extensively  the  '  good  seed '  of  the  pure  gos- 
pel in  the  sister  kingdom,  as  this  venerable  man.  We 
pray  that  the  fruit  may  be  '  found  after  many  days.' 
Labors  of  this  description,  in  conjunction  with  those 
of  the  regular  and  stated  ministry,  constitute,  under 
God,  especially  in  the  present  peculiar  circumstances 
of  the  country,  the  chief  help  and  hope  of  Ireland.'' 

His  communications  on  the  subject  of  his  exertions 
participate  to  the  end  of  his  career  of  the  same  spirit 
which  distinguished  his  most  vigorous  days ;  and  we 
cannot  fail  to  admire  the  goodness  and  power  of  God 
so  manifest  in  his  servant.  In  July,  1836,  he  gives  a 
brief  outline  of  his  labors  for  the  preceding  year.  On 
his  way  from  the  Belfast  Conference,  in  1 835,  his  labors 
were  in  Ulster  and  Leinster  down  to  September,  and 
from  the  end  of  that  month  through  the  counties  of 
Armagh,  Down,  Tyrone,  Monaghan,  and  Fermanagh, 
— preaching  in  the  streets  from  fourteen  to  sixteen? 
and  sometimes  twenty,  sermons  in  the  week,  to  large 
congregations,  especially  in  the  streets;  and  for  the 
most  part  without  interruption.  He  says,  "  I  was  not 
sick  more  than  about  three  weeks.  To  God  be  all  the 
glory,  who  thus  supports  me,  now  in  the  seventy-fifth 
year  of  my  age  !" 

He  visited  England  in  the  course  of  this  year ; 
preached  in  London — -in  Lambeth  and  Queen-street: 
in  other  large  towns  also — Birmingham,  Sheffield, 
Leeds,  Hull,  Manchester,  Liverpool,  and  other  places. 


MEJIORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  347 


He  remained  in  England  for  six  -weeks,  preached 
several  times  to  vast  congregations  ;  and  was  received 
with  great  kindness  and  affection  by  the  English 
friends.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  here  he  did  not 
forget  what  he  believed  to  be  his  pecuUar  call.  "  I 
also  wrote,"  he  says,  "  to  the  priests,  as  I  went  along,  a 
short  letter  in  Latin,  and  inclosed  a  printed  paper  to 
each  in  defense  of  the  gospel,  and  against  their  fatal 
Creed  of  Trent,  or  Pius  IV.  Glory  be  to  God. 
Amen." 

To  the  end  of  his  life  the  power  of  God  accompanied 
his  ministry  in  the  conversion  of  souls.  At  this,  in 
every  ease,  he  aimed,  and  in  this  the  gi-eat  Head  of  the 
church  gave  him  signal  success  even  to  the  last.  On 
Sunday,  the  24th  of  December,  1837,  he  preached  in 
the  town  of  Mountmellick,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing. He  gave,  in  the  course  of  his  sermon,  what  after- 
ward produced  a  wonderful  effect — a  relation  of  his 
own  experience.  A  gentleman,  Air.  Hay,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  had  recently  come  to  reside  in  L-eland, 
from  a  motive  of  curiosity  went  to  hear  him  preach. 
The  word  was  quick  and  powerful ;  he  behevert  what 
Mr.  Ouseley  declared — that  God's  promises  were  free 
for  all :  he  loathed  himself  and  sin  ;  he  went  as  a  peni- 
tent to  the  footstool  of  mercy ;  his  prayer  had  power 
with  God  through  Christ ;  and,  after  a  severe  conflict, 
he  was  led  to  the  Sa^^our,  in  whom  he  was  made  to 
rejoice,  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glorv-.  Now 
he  has  a  place  in  the  ^Methodist  ministry — preaching 
to  others  the  great  truths  by  which  himself  wrs  made 
free.. 

In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Croggon,  dated  Tarbert,  October 
3,  1838,  Jlr.  Ouseley  writes  in  a  most  cheei-ftil  strain. 


348        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OtJSELEY. 


"  Have  just  returned  from  Tralce  and  its  vicinity, 
where  I  have  been  laboring  for  nine  days,  preached 
seventeen  sermons,  and  traveled  about  one  hundred 
and  thirty  Irish  miles.  The  congregations  were  gener- 
ally very  large  :  in  Tralee,  especially,  uncommonly  so. 
I  trust  the  Lord  has  blessed  his  word  to  many.  To 
his  name  be  the  glory !  Our  good  Meredith,  cast  down 
as  he  was,  being  there  alone,  was  greatly  comforted 
and  encouraged.  I  preached  in  the  town,  between 
evenings  and  mornings,  no  less  than  ten  sermons  ;  and 
in  other  places  seven.  I  was  much  blessed  in  my  own 
soul  during  the  whole,  thank  God.  We  had  on  the 
sabbath  a  blessed  love-feast,  and  on  the  next  sabbath 
the  Lord's  supper.  In  Ivilrush,  too,  I  had  good  seasons, 
and  large  congregations.  I  spent  two  days  in  Limerick 
city,  and  had  crowded  congregations.  I  preached  four 
times  there.  In  the  country  also  I  had  crowds  to  hear. 
The  Lord  strengthens  me  so,  that  I  am  seldom  or  ever 
weary.  I  must  set  out"  on  Friday  to  Ballinasloe,  to 
meet  brother  Lindsay  there." 

He  seemed  almost  insensible  to  any  decay  of  his 
physical  strength,  until  his  last  illness.  His  friends, 
however,  perceived  indications  of  declining  health. 
The  internal  complaint,  induced  by  excessive  labor, 
and  which  terminated  his  mortal  career,  had  been 
gaining  on  him  for  four  years ;  and  although  l(f  never 
affected  him  while  preaching,  he  sometimes  suffered 
intense  pain  in  traveling.  Nothing,  however,  was  able 
to  repress  his  ardor,  or  prevent  his  using  his  remaining 
portion  of  strength  for  his  divine  Master.  In  the  latter 
end  of  January,  1839,  he  arrived  in  Dublin;  and  about 
six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  passing  from  Porto- 
bello  Canal  harbor  to  his  lodging  in  Great  Ship  street, 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  349 


as  he  came  opposite  the  residence  of  the  Methodist 
ministei-s,  in  AVhitefriar-strect,  he  was  attacked  by  a 
gang  of  robbei's,  who  knocked  him  down  with  great 
violence,  and  attempted  to  take  liis  watch;  but  the 
chain  broke,  and  they  missed  that  part  of  their  intended 
booty.  He  grappled  with  one  of  the  gang,  who  fell,  lost 
his  hat,  and  made  off.  The  rest  succeeded  in  carrying 
oft"  his  carpet-bag,  containing  his  linen,  with  some  bonds 
and  other  papers  of  consequence.  He  wrote  to  the  priest, 
and  took  every  step  in  search  of  them ;  but  they  were 
never  restored.  Excepting  the  manner  in  which  his 
clothes  had  been  abused  by  rolling  in  the  gutter,  and  the 
loss  of  his  papers,  he  did  not  seem  to  think  he  had  been 
much  injured  by  the  outrage ;  but  there  is  no  question 
that  it  aggravated  the  complaint  under  which  he  had 
been  for  some  time  sufi'ering,  and  hastened  his  dissolu- 
tion. I  received  a  letter  from  him,  dated  February  1st, 
in  which  he  makes  no  mention  of  the  attack ;  but  on 
the  8th  he  wrote  again,  and  related  the  circumstances 
of  the  case,  but  did  not  say  that  he  had  sustained  serious 
harm.  At  this  time  his  health  had  much  more  declined 
than  he  himself  conceived ;  though  he  found  it  neces- 
sary to  have  recourse  to  the  best  medical  advice,  and 
liad  premonitory  symjitoms  of  his  last  illness.  In  his 
letter  to  me  of  the  8th  of  February,  an  e.Ytract  from 
which  follows,  he  touchingly  describes  his  feelings  and 
his  prospects.  "I  have  been  to  Surgeon  Crampton 
this  day,"  he  says,  •'  on  account  of  some  ailment  I  did 
not  understand.  He  examined,  and  saw  I  must  stop 
t\w  or  three  weeks  under  bis  c.are.  I  feel  no  diminu- 
tion of  my  strength,  to  prevent  me  from  laboring  as 
usual,  nor  any  stomach  illness,  thank  God ;  yes,  thank 
God  most  high,  for  all  his  unmerited  mercies  and 


350        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


loving  kindness  to  me,  to  this  day,  now  closing  my 
seventy-seventh  year.  Through  waves,  and  clouds, 
and  storms,  he  hath  gently  cleared  my  way.  Praises 
to  Him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  maketh  all 
things  new  !  Amen  and  amen !  O  eternity,  blissful 
eternity ! 

'  Sin,  earth,  and  hell,  I  now  defy  ; 
I  lean  upon  my  Saviour's  breast '.' 

God  be  thanked  !  Amen !  The  end  shall  soon  come. 
Joyful  news !  My  good  wife  is  well,  thank  God.  I  ex- 
pect her  soon  here.  She  is  very  uneasy  about  my 
having  been  injured  by  the  robbers.  Thank  God,  they 
and  the  devil  together  could  not  take  my  soul.  This 
being  safe,  all  is  well,  and  cause  of  thanksgiving. 

'  There,  there  at  his  feet, 
We  shall  suddenly  meet, 
And  be  parted  in  body  no  more.' 

May  God  fully  prepare  us  for  that  day !   Amen.  My 
love  to  your  beloved  Anne.    God  bless  her  and  hers ! 
To  brother  Taekaberry  and  his  partner,  &c.,  &c.  _Ac- 
cept  the  same  yourself,  from  yours  in  Christ  Jesus, 
"  Gideon  Ouseley." 

The  above  letter  was  written,  as  will  be  seen,  about 
three  months  before  his  liunented  death ;  and  although 
he  could  not  think  there  was  any  dmiinution  of  his 
strength,  so  as  to  prevent  his  resuming  his  labor,  yet 
the  eager  anticipation  of  his  soul  evidently  indicated 
his  near  approach  to  that  eternity  after  which  he  so 
intensely  longe<l.  He  goes  again  to  his  loved  work,  in- 
deed, the  moment  he  finds  the  least  relief ;  but,  al;^^J, 
his  efforts  were  brief — soon  does  he  retire  from  the 
field,  never  more  to  return.    On  INTonday,  the  8th  of 


MEMORIAL  OK  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  351 


April,  he  finished  his  public  ministrations,  in  the  town 
of  Mountinellick,  when  he  delivered  three  discoiii-ses, 
one  of  which  was  in  the  street,  and  added  several  per- 
sons to  the  society  in  a  select  meeting.  On  the  11th 
of  April  he  returned  to  Dublin ;  and  on  the  "iOth  was 
confined  to  bed,  from  which  he  never  again  rose. 

We  have  arrived  at  that  part  of  the  narrative  hy 
which  I  am  reminded  that  my  task  is  well  nigh  done. 
The  life  of  a  veiy  extraordinary  man  draws  to  an  end. 
The  closing  scene,  as  might  be  expected,  sheds  a  lustre 
on  the  past,  and  affords  a  striking  evidence  of  the 
divinitj-  of  that  religion  which  it  was  the  business  and 
joy  of  his  life  to  promote.  The  veteran  warrior  lays 
down  his  armor  for  a  crown ;  and  after  a  course  of 
brilliant  victories,  enters,  in  blissful  triumph,  the  im- 
perial city. 

His  reason  continued  to  his  last  moments.  This  was 
satisfactory  to  his  friends,  who  anxiously  watched  the 
rapid  advances  of  the  last  enemy.  His  friend,  the  Rev. 
John  F.  Mathews,  frequently  visited  liim  during  his 
painful  affliction ;  and,  with  others,  witnessed  the  power 
of  grace  sustaining  hun  throughout  the  fiel-y  trial.  Mr. 
Mathews  writes :  "  He  was  frequently,  for  the  short 
period  of  his  illness,  in  great  agony :  and,  as  you  are 
aware,  a  painfid  operation  was  peiformed  by  the  sur- 
geon-general. After  this  he  sunk  rapidly,  till  at  length 
he  fell  asleep  in  Christ,  to  be  with  him  for  ever.  He 
spoke  on  two  occasions  that  I  was  with  him  of  the  'dire 
apostasy'  which  prevailed  in  this  unhappy  land  ;  and 
said,  if  he  had  any  wish  to  Hve  at  all,  it  was  to  do 
something  more  toward  hastening  its  destruction.  He 
was  in  a  most  happy  frame  of  mind ;  patient,  resigned, 
and  often  triumphant.    He  frequently  repeated  verses 


352         MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


of  the  hymn  commencing,  '  And  let  this  feeble  body- 
fail,'  &c. ;  especially  the  seventh  verse : — 

'  O  what  are  all  my  suff 'rings  here, 
If,  Lord,  thou  count  me  meet 
^  With  that  enraptured  host  t'  appear. 

And  worship  at  thy  feet ! 
Give  joy  or  grief,  give  ease  or  pain, 

Take  life  or  friends  away  ; 
I  como,  to  lind  them  all  again 
In  that  eternal  day.'  " 

In  the  most  intense  suffering  no  murmur  escaped 
his  lips.  His  -cry  was,  "  O  my  Father,  my  Father 
God !  support  thy  sufl'ci  ing  child.  Thy  will  be  done, 
my  Father  God  !"  He  impressed  on  his  medical  atr 
tendants,  and  all  who  visited  him,  not  to  neglect  the 
momentous  things  of  eternity.  On  Monday,  the  13th, 
he  took  his  leave  of  his  family,  pi-aying  especially  for 
them ;  then  for  all  his  friends,  for  the  church  of  God 
at  large,  and  for  the  whole  world.  He  employed  his 
nephew,  Mr.  John  Ouselc}-  Bonsall,  to  whom  he  was 
greatly  attached,  to  write  to  some  religious  friends,  and 
particularly  to  a  lady  who  had  l)cen  )-cmarkably  atten- 
tive to  him :  he  said,  "  Send  her  my  gi'ateful  remena- 
brauce  :  '  God  is  love.'  "  Again  he  said,  "  Get  all  my 
friends  to  pray  for  a  thankful  spirit,  and  to  be  saved 
from  stupidity  and  neglect."  Mrs.  Ouseley  sometimes 
read  for  him  portions  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  which 
were  adapted  to  his  joyous  expei-ieuce  ;  arid  on  Tuesday 
morning,  a  little  before  his  departure,  he  requested  Mr. 
Bonsall  to  read  for  him  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  the 
Gospel  by  St.  John.  He  made  a  few  observations  on 
discipleship,  of  being  one  with  Christ ;  and  then  said, 
"I  have  no  fear  of  death  ;  the  Spirit  of  God  sustains; 
God's  Spirit  is  my  support."    After  this,  at  half-past 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  353 


twelve  o'clock,  his  happy  spirit  took  its  flight  to  the 
paradise  of  God.  "  My  father,  my  father,  the  chariot 
of  Israel  and  the  horsemen  thereof!"  Thus  closed  the 
long  and  laborious  life  of  this  gifted  and  holy  man. 
'•  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my 
last  end  be  like  his." 

On  the  day  of  interment  his  mortal  remains  were 
carried  into  the  Methodist  chapel,  Whitefriar-street, 
when  Mr.  Mathews  delivered  an  address  to  a  crowded 
congregation.  They  were  thence  conveyed  to  Mount 
Jerome  Cemetery,  Hnrold's  Cross,  there  to  remain  till 
the  morning  of  the  resurrection.  On  the  following 
Sunday  evening  the  Rev.  AVilliam  Stewart  preached 
his  funeral  sermon  in  Wliitefriar-street  Chapel. 

It  is  said  by  an  accomplished  historian,  that  '•  the 
appellation  of  great  has  been  often  bestowed  and  some- 
times deserved."  But  if  eminent  powers,  under  the 
impulse  of  ennobling  Clu-istiau  virtues,  engaged  in  a 
long  course  of  self-denial  and  effort,  in  enterprises 
the  most  beneficent,  constitute  true  greatness,  "the 
appellation  of  great"  cannot  be  denied  to  Gideon 
Ouseli  y. 

AVithout  any  claims  to  distinction  as  a  writer,  tra- 
dition would  have  rescued  the  name  of  Mr.  Ouseley 
from  oblivion,  and  given  him  a  place  among  the 
illustrious  in  "  the  world  of  invisible  beings."  Had 
no  records  existed  but  such  as  were  cherished  in  the 
Ciiristian  experience  of  those  who  had  been  happily 
made  the  partakers  of  gospel  salvation  by  his  instru- 
mentality, the  story  of  his  labors  and  his  virtues  must 
have  been  transmitted  to  posterity.  But  the  efforts  of 
Mr.  Ouseley  were  by  no  means  limited  by  his  oral  and 
public  miniftrations ;  as  his  research  was  considerable 
23 


854        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY. 


in  Christian  theology,  and  ecclesiastical  history,  so  his 
power  was  almost  unequaled  in  bringing  it  to  bear 
■with  practical  advantage  on  questions  affecting  the 
interests  of  truth,  and  involving  the  weal  of  his  country. 
When  occasion  required,  or  seemed  to  point  out  the 
necessity,  he  was  prompt  in  wielding  the  weapons  of 
truth :  letters,  strictures,  and  reviews,  in  a  variety  of 
forms,  issued  from  his  pen.  In  these  he  would  some- 
times, with  irresistible  force,  assail  the  very  fortresses 
of  error,  expose  to  view  the  arcana  of  well-concei'ted 
falsehood ;  tear  the  mask  from  off  the  bold  deceiver ; 
put  to  silence  the  ignorance  of  foolish  men ;  waken  the 
attention  of  the  credulous  and  unsuspecting ;  rescue 
the  dupes  of  spiritual  delusion ;  and  confirm  in  the 
ways  of  righteousness  and  truth  the  wavering  and  the 
weak. 

His  great  literar}^  undertaking,  however,  was  his 
Old  Christianity  afjaiiist  Papal  Novelty;  which  im- 
bodied  almost  everything  in  his  minor  productions 
that  was  valuable  in  substance,  powerful  in  appeal, 
felicitous  in  illustration,  and  conclusive  in  reasoning. 
A  work  which,  while  it  challenges  the  most  celebrated 
controversialists  of  Rome  to  refute  its  arguments,  shall, 
we  have  reason  to  believe,  by  its  effects  upon  the  reli- 
gious history  of  our  country,  in  after  times,  render  im- 
perishable the  name  of  Gideon  Ouseley.  The  reviews 
of  the  last  [the  fifth]  edition  of  that  work,  from  which 
I  shall  select  two,  confirm  the  most  favorable  opinions 
of  his  warmest  friends. 

From  the  Wesleyan  Melhodist  Magazine,  1827. 
This  is  a  reprint,  with  enlargements,  of  one  of  the 
most  spirited  and  convincing  attacks  upon  Popery  the 


JfEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELEY.  355 


age  has  produced.  It  has  an  extensive  circulation  in 
Ireland ;  and  has  been  used  as  a  text-book  in  many  an 
oral  debate  among  Hibernian  polemics.  AVe  hope  to 
find  room,  at  a  future  opportunity,  for  a  more  extensive 
notice  of  this  excellent  publication,  which  has  conti-i- 
buted,  in  a  very  material  degree,  to  produce  the 
spirit  of  religious  inquiry  which  at  present  exists  among 
the  Roman  Catholics  of  Ireland,  and  from  which  the 
most  beneficial  results  are  continually  witnessed." 

From  the  Church  Magazine,  or  Christian  Examiner,  1828. 
"  We  are  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  calling  the 
notice  of  our  readers  to  this  valuable  manual  of  con- 
troversy. Perhaps  no  book  among  Irish  Protestants, 
in  the  controversial  line,  has  got  into  more  circulation 
and  been  of  more  service.  The  author  is  a  veteran 
polemic  ;  he  was  fighting  the  battle  orally,  and  with 
his  pen,  when  others  were  yet  supine ;  and  if  long 
experience,  long  study,  and  much  success,  be  valuable 
ingredients  in  a  man  who  sits  down  to  write  against 
Romanism,  Mr.  Oiiseley  has  a  fair  claim  to  still  more 
extensive  patronage.  We  wish  the  book — which  ia 
very  cheap,  considering  the  abundant  matter  which 
it  contains — were  on  the  book-shelf  of  every  Protestant 
householder." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  character  given 
of  Mr.  Ouseley  in  the  Minutes  of  Conference,  1 839  : — • 
"  He  died,  as  he  had  lived,  an  eminent  witness  of  the 
salvation  of  the  gospel.  He  was  the  most  distinguished, 
efiiciont,  and  successful  Irish  missionary  ever  em- 
ployed by  our  religious  community.  He  labored  with 
a  devotion  and  earnestness  worthy  of  the  first  and 
purest  ages  of  the  Christian  church ;  and  to  an  extent 


356        MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


never,  perhaps,  surpassed,  and  aeldom  equaled.  In 
1799,  the  year  after  the  Irish  rebellion,  he  was  called 
out  b}'  the  confei'cnce  as  an  Irish  missionary.  For  this 
greats  and  important  work  he  was  pre-eminently  fitted. 
His  knov.'ledgc  of  the  cliaracter  and  prejudices  of  the 
native  population,  and  of  the  practical  evils  and  enor- 
mities of  the  Popish  delusion — his  almost  instinctive 
acutenesa  in  detecting  the  insidious  subtilties,  and  his 
unequalcd  power  of  argument  in  refuting  the  errors 
of  Popery — enabled  him  to  grapple  most  successfully 
with  the  revolting  antlchvistian  monster ;  while  his 
thorough  acquaintance  with  the  Irish  language  gave 
facility  to  the  attention,  and  access  to  the  sympathies, 
of  the  Irish  people.  His  various  works  on  the  Popish 
controversy,  particularly  his  book  entitled  Old  Chris- 
tianity— a  v/ork  of  superior  value — evince  very  great 
research,  and  give  him  a  rank  as  a  man  of  no  incon- 
siderable literar}-  ac(|uirements,  wliile  they  exhibit 
marks  of  having  been  touched  Avith  a  master  hand. 
His  sermons  were  marked  by  great  originality  and 
strength  ;  and  powerful  convictions  laid  hold  of  the 
hearts  of  his  congregations,  while  he  reasoned  and 
persuaded  them  out  of  the  Scriptures.  He  generally 
went  from  his  knees  to  the  pulpit  or  streets  ;  and,  alter 
strong  cries  and  tears  before  the  throne  of  grace,  in- 
vited his  perishing  fellow-men  to  the  feet  of  Jesu.s, 
for  mercy  and  salvation.  In  him  were  exemplified  the 
well-known  words, — • 

'  The  love  of  Clirist  doth  me  constrain 
To  seek  the  wand'ring  souls  of  men  ; 
With  cries,  entreaties,  tears,  to  save, 
To  snatch  them  from  a  gaping  grave.' 


MEMOKIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


357 


For  forty  years  be  exercised  his  public  ministry, 
through  evil  report  and  good  report,  in  honor  and  in 
dkhonor,  through  every  part  of  the  kingdom,  with 
quenehless  ardor,  invincible  constancy,  pure  patriotism, 
and  unwearied  zeal — frequenth-  preaching  three  times, 
and  occasionally  four  or  five  times,  a  day,  in  English 
and  Irish.  His  addresses  were  accompanied  with  a 
power,  pathos,  and  unction  of  the  Holy  One,  which 
deeply  aflected,  and  sometimes  overwhelmed  the  vast 
assemblies  which  attended  his  ministry.  Hundreds, 
if  not  thousands,  of  souls  were  the  fruit  of  that  minis- 
try, who  no  doubt  wU  be  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing  in 
the  day  of  Christ.  On  the  1-lth  of  May  this  gi-eat  and 
devoted  servant  of  Jesus  Christ  fell  asleep,  in  the  full 
triumph  of  faith  and  hope,  in  the  seventy-eighth  year 
of  his  age.  '  Blessed  are  the  dead  which  die  in  the 
Lord,  from  henceforth  ;  yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they 
may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow 
them.' " 

Are  the  Christian  churches  in  this  country  aware 
of  the  obligations  they  are  under,  for  the  present  state 
of  religious  society,  to  the  unwearied  exertions  of  this 
distinguished  man,  "  who  fought  the  battles,  orally  and 
with  his  pen,  when  others  were  yet  supine?"  Is 
there  nothing  in  his  singular  character  and  career  to 
impress  the  minds  of  the  friends  of  Ireland,  as  to  the 
means  of  her  disinthrallment  from  degrading  spiritual 
oppression  ?  Shall  not  his  intense  love  of  country, 
the  indelible  impression  on  his  mind  as  to  his  especial 
call,  and  his  faithful,  unremitting  perseverance  in  it, 
his  deep  and  solemn  convictions  as  to  the  causes  of 
Ireland's  miseries,  and  his  more  than  common  power 


858      MEMoraAL  of  gideon  ouselet. 


in  exposing  them ;  his  unbroken  resolution  mid  appal- 
ling dangers;  his  unparalleled  exertions  and  success 
in  the  ministr)',  afford  demonstrative  evidence  that  he 
was  under  a  divine  influence,  and  that  there  is  no  effi- 
cacy in  any  appliances  in  removing  the  maladies  of 
our  country  save  what  is  found  in  the  sovereign 
remedy  of  the  gospel  ?  And  is  there  not  something 
admonitory  and  instructive  to  young  ministers,  and 
above  all  to  young  Methodist  preachers,  in  his  singular 
devotion  and  self-denial — his  iudustrj',  and  redeeming 
of  time — -his  undying  zeal  for  God,  and  his  ardent 
pity  for  the  ruined  souls  of  men — his  ceaseless  labors, 
and  his  prayers  and  tears  night  and  day  for  perishing 
sinners,  "  to  open  their  eyes,  antl  to  turn  them  from 
darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto 
God  ?"  0,  may  the  great  Head  of  the  church  raise 
up  and  inspire  a  succession  of  faithful  men,  who, 
catching  the  spirit  and  treading  in  the  footsteps  of 
Gideon  Ouseley,  will  go  forth  publicly,  and  boldly 
proclaim  Christ  and  him  crucified,  until  our  ill-fated 
country  shall  be  no  longer  a  "  by-word  among  all 
nations,"  but,  enlightened  and  transformed  by  the 
truth,  rise  into  life  and  order ;  offering  unto  God  a 
spiritual  worship,  and  exhibiting  in  her  social  and 
moral  character  the  virtues  of  a  pure  and  Scriptural 
Christianity.  Yours,  &c. 


APPENDIX. 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Cork  Constitution. 
Sir, — Having  in  many  of  your  cotcmporaries  seen  ac- 
counts of  the  execution  of  the  criminal  Seery,  and  his  inno- 
cence sti-ongly  insisted  on,  I  am  led  to  the  recollection  of  a 
similar  case  in  this  county,  which  I  now  give  you,  in  hopes 
of  its  serving  as  a  warning  to  readers,  and  preventing  their 
giving  implicit  credit  to  dying  declarations  of  innocence, 
made  b}'  criminals  about  to  suffer  for  crimes  connected 
with  political  subjects.  Something  over  twenty  years  ago, 
an  appalling  murder  was  committed  on  a  Mr.  Franks,  his 
wife,  and  son,  near  Kildon-ery.  Two  or  three  brothers, 
named  Cremmin — I  can't  now  remember  how  many — were 
convicted  of  the  murder,  and  executed.  At  the  gallows 
they  made  a  solemn  declaration  of  their  innocence,  which 
with  many  gained  great  credence,  the  dying  confession 
being  considered  as  sufficient  proof  I  happened,  some 
time  after  the  execution,  to  dine  in  a  large  company,  com- 
posed entirely  of  men.  One  of  the  part)'  was  an  attorney 
from  the  neighborhood  of  the  murder,  a  thorough-going 
Liberalist.    After  the  solids  had  been  disposed  of,  and  the 

speaking  powers  were  developed,  Mr.  ,  the  country 

attorney,  spoke  of  the  execution  as  the  murder  of  the  Crem- 
mills  ;  on  which  honest  Jack  Bennett,  also  one  of  the  com- 
pany, made  one  of  his  well-remembered  attacks  on  his 
country  brother-chip ;  and  after  giving  him  what  he  called 


360        MEJIOEIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


one  of  his  best  tongue  scourgings,  said,  "You  came  to  Cork 
on  the  defense  of  the  murderers.  You  applied  to  me  to 
undertake  it.  I  went  with  you  to  their  cell.  The  first 
question  I  put  to  them  was,  '  Are  you  guilty  ?  Tell  me  the 
truth,  iis  I  can't  defend  you  without  knowing  the  real  facts.' 
They  confessed  to  mo  in  your  presence  the  truth,  and 
acknowledged  their  guilt,  which  you  knew  as  well  as  the 
murderers.  They  suffered  for  a  crime  they  were  guilty  of ; 
and  now,  with  unblushing  effrontery,  you  attempt  to  acquit 
them,  because  they  suffered  under  the  laws  which  they 
violated,  and  which  you  vilify  to  answer  your  party  feel- 
ings." Being  nearly  connected  with  the  murdered  Pranks, 
I  cannot  forget  any  part  of  the  conversation  ;  and  I  hope 
that  the  country  practitioner,  when  he  sees  this,  will  re- 
member the  chastisement  bestowed  on  him  by  honest,  un- 
compromising Jack  Bennett.  There  were  other  respectable 
persons  present,  who  no  doubt  remember  the  facts  as  I 
state  them.  I  remain,  &c.. 

Old  Times. 

B. 

Rhemish  Bible,  edited  in  1816.  Note  on  John  x,  1; 
Heb.  V,  1.  "All  Protestant  clergy  are  thieves,  murderers,  and 
ministers  of  the  devil ;  they  are  leaders  of  rebellion,  and  en- 
gaged in  a  damnable  revolt  against  the  priests  of  God's 
church." 

On  Rev.  xi,  6-20.  '•  Christian  people,  bishops  especially, 
should  have  great  zeal  against  heretics,  and  hate  them,  even 
as  God  hates  them ;  and  be  thus  zealous  against  all  false 
prophets  and  heretics,  of  what  name  soever,  after  the  ex- 
ample of  holy  Elias,  that  in  zeal  killed  four  hundred  and 
fifty  false  prophets." 

On  Luke  ix,  55.  "  As  the  fact  of  Elias  was  not  repre- 
hended, neither  is  the  church  nor  Christian  princes  blamed 
by  God  for  putting  heretics  to  death." 


MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET.  361 


On  Acts  xix,  19.  "A  Christian  should  deface  and  burn 
all  heretical  books." 

On  Acts  X,  9.  "  The  church  service  of  England,  being 
in  heresy  and  schism,  is  not  only  unprofitable  but  damna- 
ble.'' 

Drs.  Troy,  Miu'ray,  O'Reilly,  and  mostly  all  the  principal 
Roman  Catholic  clergy  in  Ireland,  subscribed  their  names 
to  these  notes,  as  being  "  truly  orthodox  and  catholic." 

c. 

"  The  wakes  in  the  country  parts  of  Ireland  present  an 
odd  assemblage  of  different  characters  and  of  different  pas- 
sions. The  real  genius  of  the  people  is  nowhere  so  well 
or  so  openly  displayed  as  at  these  nightly  meetings.  It  is 
a  theatre  on  which  tragedy,  comedy,  broad  farce,  match 
making,  speech  making,  &c.,  all  that  is  bizan-e  and  comical 
in  the  genuine  Irish  character,  develop  themselves  with  a 
freedom  truly  fantastic.  Here  the  scenes  are  shifted  with  a 
rapidity  of  change,  and  in  unrestrained  succession,  quite 
sm-passing  any  other  drama.  The  transitions,  from  deepest 
and  most  impassioned  tones  of  son-ow  to  mirth  and  humor, 
are  as  quick  as  thought.  There  is  a  melancholy  in  their  mirth, 
and  a  mirth  in  their  melancholy,  wliich  is  often  found  to 
prevail  in  their  music ;  and  which  was  a  character  impressed 
on  national  sensibility  by  successive  changes  of  ill-fortune. 
And  as  no  one  passion  is  permitted  to  continue  long,  they 
mingle  and  vary  like  shades  of  light  and  darkness  playing 
upon  the  surface  of  a  sullen  stream.  At  those  national 
carnivals  the  common  excitements  of  snuff,  tobacco,  and 
whisky,  and  the  fruits  of  plundered  orchards,  are  abun- 
dantly supplied."' — Life  of  Ciirran. 

In  such  scenes  would  Mr.  Ouseley  appear,  and,  as  de- 
scribed, call  the  attention  of  the  thoughtless  assemblage  to 
the  solemn  concerns  of  eternity. 


362       MEMORIAL  OF  GIDEON  OUSELET. 


D. 

Father  Michael  Murphy  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Mr. 
Thomas  Houston,  of  Thomas-street,  Dublin,  dated  Gorey, 
6th  June,  179S  :— 

"  Friend  Hocston, — Great  events  are  ripening.  In  a 
few  days  we  shall  meet.  The  first-fruits  of  your  regenera- 
tion must  be  a  tincture  of  poison  and  pike  in  the  meti-opo- 
lis,  against  the  heretics.  This  is  a  tribunal  for  such  opinions. 
Your  talents  must  not  be  buried  as  a  judge.  Your  sons 
must  be  steeled  with  fortitude  against  heresy.  Then  we 
shall  do ;  and  you  shall  shine  in  a  higher  sphere.  We 
shall  have  an  army  of  brave  republicans,  one  hundred  thou- 
sand, with  fourteen  pieces  of  cannon,  on  Tuesday,  before 
Dublin.  Your  heart  will  beat  high  at  the  news.  Yoa 
will  rise  with  a  proportionable  force.    Yours  ever, 

"  M.  MCRPHT." 

We  are  informed  by  the  Popish  historian,  O'Sullivan, 
that  in  the  year  1575,  Geraldine  of  Desmond,  plotting  an 
insurrection  upon  a  grand  scale,  was  desirous  to  connect 
his  measures  with  Pope  Gregory,  and  proceeded  to  Rome 
for  that  purpose.  He  found  there  Cornelius  O'Mebian, 
an  Irish  Franciscan,  who  had  been  recently  appointed 
bishop  of  Killaloe,  and  who  at  once  became  a  principal  in 
the  councils  of  Desmond.  To  then-  united  solicitations  for 
assistance,  his  holiness  readily  consented  ;  and  granted  to 
a  banditti  then  desolating  Italy  a  free  pardon,  on  condition 
of  their  undertaking  an  expedition  to  Ii-eland.  At  the 
head  of  these  missionaries,  the  bishop  of  Killaloe  landed  in 
Ireland ;  distributing  arms  and  indulgences  among  the 
rebels  who  flocked  to  his  standard,  and  inscribed  upon  his 
banners  the  device  of  the  keys,  "  because  he  fought  for  him 
who  had  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

D. 

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FROM   THE   SEVENTH    LONDON  EDITION. 

Large  18mo.    Price  Thirty  cents. 
Mr.  Young's  object  is  to  promote  the  exertions  of  every  Christian 
in  liis  own  sphere  ;  and  he  has  ably  shown  that  there  is  a  loud 
I  call  for  such  exertions,  and  sure  warrant  for  expecting  success. 
'  This  volume,  though  small,  is  truly  valuable,  and  cannot  fail  to 
I  be  of  service  to  every  candid  reader.— Wesleyan  Magazine. 
I     A  faithful,  affectionate,  and  powerful  production.  We  earnestly 
I  hope  it  may  be  read  and  acted  upon  ;  and  "  glorious  things  "  will 
i  then  be  "  spoken  of  Zion,  the  city  of  our  God."— Revivalist. 
j     The  subject  is  of  the  last  importance,  and  in  the  author's  hands 
'  it  has  lost  nothing  by  the  mode  of  its  management.    Much  has 
i  been  done  in  a  brief  space  ;  so  much,  indeed,  that  I  could  have 
wished  that  space  had  been  more  ample.    For  general  purposes, 
however,  its  brevity  and  compactness  will  contribute  to  its 
efficiency.   The  poorest  may  purchase,  the  busiest  may  peruse, 
and  the  simplest  may  understand  it. — Rev.  Dr.  Campbell. 
It  is  a  heart-searching  volume.    Many  of  the  suggestions  are 
I    most  valuable,  and  I  wish  everything  proposed  was  fairly  tried. 
I  It  would  present  once  more  to  the  world  the  spectacle  of  a  church 
in  earnest ;  God  wouid  give  liis  blessing  ;  and  again  would  mul- 
titudes be  added  to  his  people  such  as  should  be  saved.— Keti. 
John  Scott,  President  oj  the  British  Conference. 

A  class-leader  says,  "About  six  months  ago  I  introduced  into 
my  class  Mr  Young's  plan  of  individual  effort,  and  fi/ti/  new 
members  have  been  added  as  the  encouraging  result,  all  of  whom 
give  evidence  of  a  saving  work  of  grace." 

Several  members  of  my  church  have,  for  the  last  few  months, 
been  acting  upon  Mr.  Young's  "  suggestions,"  and  the  result  is 
the  hopeful  conversion  of  many  souls. — A  minister. 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  LANE  &  TIPPETT. 


The  Pilgrim's  Progress 

FROM  THIS  WORLD  TO  THAT  WHICH  IS  TO  COME. 

B\)  Jolju  Bunpan. 

>Vith  an  Introduction,  Index,  Notes,  etc. 

BY  S.  B.  WICKENS. 
EMBELLISHED  WITH  A  PORTRAIT  AND  OTHER  ENGRATINGS. 

Large  I8nw.  Pages  47S.  Price  Fifty  cents. 
A  household  book  wherever  the  English  language  is  known. 
One  of  the  wonders  of  genius ;  a  book  which  charms  tlie  child 
before  he  can  comprehend  its  meaning,  which  delights  and  in- 
structs tlie  experienced  Christian  ;  and  wliich,  in  despite  of  its 
subject,  excites  the  admiration  of  the  man  of  letters.  To  have 
such  a  book,  with  its  thousand  healthful  and  refining  influences, 
placed  in  ajny  family,  is  a  lasting  good. — Bibli-cal  Repertory. 

Yet  another  edition,  and  one  that  will  doubtless  meet  with  a 
very  cordial  reception.  The  Introduction  is  a  judicious,  critical, 
and  historical  account  of  this  great  work,  giving  new  facts  and 
views  on  the  subject,  which  will  greatly  interest  the  admirers  of 
the  allegory.  The  Notes  are  eminently  practical  and  instructive. 
We  have  seen  no  edition  to  which  we  would  more  willingly  accord 
the  title  of  a  "standard  edition."— iVcia-Vori  Spectator. 

An  e.xcellent  edition  of  this  religious  classic,  and  well  adapted  for 
younger  readers  as  well  as  for  adults.  Bunyan's  Progress  shou'.d 
be  by  the  side  of  the  Bible  in  every  Christian  family :  put  it  especially 
into  the  hands  of  your  children;  it  will  fascinate  them  from  danger- 
ous books,  and  lead  them  in  tlie  way  to  heaven.— 2ion'i  Herald. 

This  is  a  book  for  everybody,  as  our  readers  well  know.  But 
there  is  much  choice  in  the  editions.  Lane  andTippett  have  just 
published  one,  which  we  think  decidedly  the  best  we  ever  saw- 
It  is  on  good  paper,  with  good  print ;  has  a  splendid  likeness  of 
Bunyan,  a  number  of  appropriate  cuts,  and  an  interesting  biogra- 
phy of  the  author.  It  also  contains  an  index,  and  has  a  good 
selection  of  interesting  notes,  chieily  from  the  writings  of  Bunyan 
himself.— Gutrfe  to  Holiness 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  LANE  &  TIPPETT. 


The  Mother's  Practical  Guide 

IN  THE  EARLY  TRAINING  OF  HER  CHILDREN: 

COXTAININO  DIRECTIONS  FOU  THEIR 

Physical,  Intellectual,  and  Moral  Education. 

BY  MRS.  J.  BAKEWELL. 
Large  18mo.  Price  Forty  cents. 

We  have  perused  this  beautiful  little  volume  with  nnmingled 
satisfaction,  as  a  valuable  accession  to  the  few  unexceptionable 
works  we  have  met  with  on  the  subject  of  infant  training.  Every 
page  is  marked  with  the  feelings  of  a  mother's  heart,  oversowing 
with  the  milk  of  human  kindness,  and  regulated  by  strong  good 
sense  and  religious  principle. — Scottish  Guardian. 

We  have  treatises  on  education  generally,  and  on  the  diseases, 
diet,  etc.,  of  children,  whicli  are  of  much  value  ;  but  there  was 
yet  wanting  a  mother's  practical  book,  unincumbered  witli  pro- 
fessional technicalities,  the  result  of  inquiry  and  matuie  e.xperi- 
once,  and  one  which  the  young  mother  could  receive  as  a  manual 
of  instruction  by  wliich  she  might  safely  be  guided.  Mrs.  Bake- 
well,  by  giving  such  a  book  to  married  females,  has,  we  feel  as- 
sured, performed  a  most  valuable  service  for  hersex,  and  we  hope 
her  work  will  find  access  to  those  for  whose  use  it  is  so  well 
adapted. — Newcastle  Courant. 

Such  a  work  was  much  needed  ;  for  although  we  have  many 
treatises  on  the  education  of  children,  we  h^ve  nothing  so  full  and 
judicious,  immediately  addressed  to  mothers,  on  the  entire  subject 
of  the  training  of  their  offspring,  in  reference  to  their  physical, 
their  mental,  and  their  moral  being.  The  volume  is  altogether  a 
treasure  to  Christian  mothers. — (London)  Evangelical  Magazine. 

This  little  book  is  designed  to  subserve  the  most  useful  ends 
in  the  training  of  children ;  and  it  is  evidently  written  by  one 
who  has  made  lierself  well  acquaftited  with  her  subject.  We  are 
sure  that  every  mother  who  reads  itwill  be  better  qualified  thereby 
to  execute  the  sacred  trust  committed  to  her  by  the  God  of 
nature. — Ladies'  Repository. 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  LANE  &  TIPPETT. 


Christian  Perfection: 

The  Scripture  Doctrine  Stated  and  Defended; 
EXAMINATION  OF  THE  CONTROVERSY, 

BOTH  ANCIENT  AND  MODERN; 

Also,  Practical  lUustralious  and  Advices. 
3^  (©£orge  |3cck,  ID. 

One  volume  12mo.   Pages  484.   Price  One  dollar. 
This  work  is  well-timed,  and  Dr.  Peck  has  conferred  an  important 
favor  upon  the  Christian  public  by  its  publication.  The  Wesleyan 
family  are  peculiarly  indebted  to  him  for  the  clear  and  able  vindi- 
cation of  tlieir  views  therein  contained.— ;Vor(Aern  Advocate. 

Tliough  several  smaller  works  have  been  written  on  the  subject 
of  Christian  perfection,  the  book  before  us  supplies  a  place  not 
previously  occupied.— CArtsdon  Repository. 

We  have  read  this  work  with  great  satisfaction,  and  recommend 
it  to  the  public  with  a  hearty  good  will.  It  is  thoroughly  Wes- 
leyan throughout. — Southern  Christian  Advocate. 

It  is  a  book  for  the  times,  and  will  do  much  toward  defending 
and  promoting  the  great  cause  of  liolincss.—  irtiftrn  Ch.  Advocate. 

A  vein  of  hallowed  piety  and  patient  research  is  conspicuous 
throughout  liie  volume. — [London)  Weslet/an  Methodist  Magazine. 

Peck  on  Christian  Perfection. 

AN  ABRIDGED  EDITION. 
Large  ]8mo.    Pages  332.    Price  Fifty  cents. 
As  a  treatise  on  the  great  doctrine  of  entire  sanctijication,  it  will  be 
found  complete  in  all  its  parts,  being  onlydivestcd  of  the  scholastic 
matter  which,  however  important  to  ministers  and  students,  pre- 
vents the  general  circulation  of  the  original  work  among  the  people. 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  LANE  &  TIPPETT. 


Life  of  Rev.  Charles  Wesley,  M.  A. 

COMPHISING,  A  REVIEW  OF  HIS  POETRY; 

Sketches  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  Methodism; 

WITH  NOTICES  OF 
CONTEMPORARY  EVENTS  AND  CHARACTERS. 

By  511)011100  lacksoii. 

One  large  volume,  8vo.  With  a  Portrait.  $2  50. 
The  name  of  Charles  Wesley  will  ever  be  in  honorable  remem-  ' 
brance  as  the  zealous  coadjutor  of  liis  brotlier  in  that  extensive  1 
revival  of  true  religion  which  distinguished  the  last  century,  and  I 
as  the  author  of  the  greater  portion  of  those  incomparable  hymns, 
the  use  of  which  has  for  nearly  a  hundred  years  formed  so  pro- 
minent a  part  of  the  devotions  of  "  the  people  called  Methodists."  j 
Although  more  than  fifty  years  have  passed  away  since  he  rested  i 
from  his  labors,  there  has  been  no  separate  memoir  of  his  life 
until  the  appc.irancc  of  the  present  volume,  which  is  in  many 
respects  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  important  works  on 
religious  biography  that  has  issued  from  the  press  for  many  years. 
It  is  chielly  prepared  from  the  journals  and  private  papers  of  Mr. 
Wesley,  which  were  kept  in  his  family  till  the  death  of  his  daugh-  j 
ter  in  1828,  when  tlioy  became  the  property  of  the  Wesleyan  Con- 
ference.   It  forms  a  large  and  handsome  octavo  volume,  of  ; 
seven  hundred  and  niiu'ty-scven  pages  ;  and  the  stylo  in  which  ! 
it  is  got  up  is  highly  ci  edilable  to  our  Book  Concern.    No  Method- 
ist pieacher  should  be  without  it. 

Centenary  of  Wesleyan  Methodism: 

A  SKETCH  OF  THE  RISE,  PROGRESS,  AHD  PRESENT  ST.VTE  OF  THE 

Wesleyan-Mcthodist  Societies  through  the  World. 
Bj)  ©Ijomas  lackaon. 

In  one  volume,  12mo.        Price  SL\ty-five  ccnis. 


BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  LANE  &  TIPPETT. 


THE  anEAT  EFFICACY  OF  SIMPLE  FAITH  IN  THE  ATONEMENT  OF 
CHKIST,  EXEMPLIFIED  IN  A 

Memoir  of  Mr.  William  Carvosso, 

SIXTY  YEARS  A  WESLEYAN  METHODIST  CLASS-LEADER. 

Written  by  Himself,  and  edited  by  his  Sou. 

He  ttaggcred  not  aL  the"  promise  of  God  through  unbelief ;  but  was  strong  iu  the 
faith,  giving  glory  to  God.— Rom.  iv,  20. 

(FIFTY  THOUSAND  COPIES  OF  THIS  BOOK  HAVE  BEEN  CIRCULATED.) 

[  Large  ISmo.    With  a  Portrait.    Fifty  cents. 

Tliis  Jitlle  volume  commends  itself  to  the  attention  of  tlie  reader 

■  by  many  powerful  claims.  It  contains  tlie  personal  narrative  of 
a  man  wlio,  for  a  long  series  of  years,  uniformly  exemplified  the 
graces  and  virtues  of  the  Christian  life  in  their  rise,  progress, 
and  rich  maturity ;  and  who  at  length  descended  to  the  grave 
happy,  loved,  and  honored, — "  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  was 
no  guile."  It  records  also  an  extraordinary  number  of  memorable 

'  Instances  in  which,  by  the  agency  and  blessing  of  God,  he  was 

'  made  the  instrument  of  great  spiritual  good  to  iinanakened  sin- 
ners, penitent  seekers  of  salvation,  and  Christian  believers. 
While  we  peruse  its  wonderful  communicalions,  we  seem  to  be 
carried  back  to  some  of  the  earlier  periods  of  Methodism,  which 
were  distinguished  by  the  most  remarkable  effusions  of  divine 
influence.  It  may  further  be  justly  said  to  imbody  a  large  portion 
of  sound  theological  truth,  placed  in  the  most  striking  light,  and 

:  constantly  associated  with  the  privileges  and  obligations  of 
Christian  experience  and  practice  ;  and  it  especially  displays  the 
ni.a!ity  ellicary  of  that  faith  which  God's  Holy  Spirit  creales  in 
the  heart  of  humble  and  praying  man,  and  which  man  is  taught 
to  exercise  in  firm  dependence  on  His  aid.    We  recommend  the 

]  work  with  sincere  cordiality.  A  careful  perusal  of  it  will,  we 
trust,  lead  many  to  aspire  after  the  inestimable  blessings  which 

i  are  so  strongly  represented  and  enforced  in  its  pages. — (London) 

;  Wcsleyan  Methodist  Magazine. 


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